Author: christianliving4young

Posted in Ages 11 & above, Life Skills

Fighting our battles

Posted on by christianliving4young

We live on this planet for a very short time and during this life time, we go through different experiences. We experience times of happiness, sadness, laughter, fear, anger, embarrassments etc., as a result of various circumstances life throws at us. There are battles we need to fight to walk through life victoriously. We will have to battle with misunderstandings, injustice, gossips, jealousy, unkindness, cheating, etc., that are brought about by people, our fellow beings on the earth. This is a physical battle, however not using physical weapons. Most of the time we struggle through them and it hurts us. We already learned how to handle battles in the spiritual realm (happening in our mind) by wearing the Armor of God and fighting with the sword – The Word of God (The Armor of God). However, what about the physical realm? How do we handle the battles that come up because of the wickedness in this world? Should we fight them with all our might?

Let us open the treasure book and find clues.

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

How to fight our battles ?

The Lord is a man of war; The Lord is His name.

Exodus 15:3

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the defense of my life;
Whom shall I dread?

Psalm 27:1

The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”

Exodus 14:14.

And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.

Psalm 9:10

The Lord is a man of war. He knows how to battle. Make Him your salvation. If you have accepted Him as your Savior, He becomes the defense of your life. As we all know, it is the Defense Ministry that takes up the battles of a country and makes strategies & plans to fight its enemies. So when we accept Jesus as our personal Savior, He takes up the role of a Defense Minister in our lives, in addition to the various other roles. We only need to handover the battle to Him and sit aside peacefully because THE LORD WILL FIGHT OUR BATTLES. Another quality of our defense minister is that He never abandons or leaves us in the middle of a battle. He will accomplish what he started. So trust Him because He knows what He is doing.

The Lord is the defense of our life. Don’t try to help Him by fighting the battle yourself. He is more than able to handle it. So handover your battle to Him, step aside, relax yourself holding your peace and trusting Him.

Our mindset in the battle

When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.

Deuteronomy 20: 1

Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

Deuteronomy 31:6

Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted; propose your plan, but it will not stand, for God is with us.

Isaiah 8:10 (NIV)

When we come face to face with a battle, the enormity of the opposite side should not affect us. They might be powerful and gigantic and might device plans and strategies that we would never figure out even in our wildest dreams. These facts should not bring upon fear in you. Be strong and courageous. Just remember who is fighting your battle and who your defense minister is.

When in battle do not focus on its enormity or on the quirkiness of plans devised against you. Instead focus on Him, your defense minister. Be strong and courageous.

Example: 2 Chronicles 13

The Word of God has many examples of God fighting the battle for His people. One such is the war between Judah and Israel. After the days of King Solomon, the kingdom of Israel got separated into two – Judah as one nation and the rest of Israel as another nation. When King Jeroboam ruled Israel and King Abijah ruled Judah, there arose a war between both these kingdoms. Abijah went for the battle with an army of four hundred thousand valiant warriors and Jeroboam went against him with eight hundred thousand mighty men of valor – double the size of army of Judah.

For Judah, the Lord was their God, and they did not forsake Him. But Jeroboam and Israel forsook the Lord, God of their fathers. Abijah said, “God Himself is with us as our head, and His priests with sounding trumpets to sound the alarm against you. O children of Israel, do not fight against the Lord God of your fathers, for you shall not prosper!”

Meanwhile, Jeroboam caused an ambush to go behind Judah so that they were in front of Judah and the ambush was behind Judah. When Judah looked around, to their surprise, the battle line was at both front and back. They cried out to the Lord and the priests sounded the trumpets. Then the men of Judah gave a shout. As the men shouted, God struck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. The children of Israel fled before Judah and God delivered them into the hands of Judah. Abijah and his people struck Israel with a great slaughter, so five hundred thousand choice men of Israel fell slain. The children of Israel were subdued and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied on the Lord God of their fathers.

The army of Israel was double the size of the army of Judah and Israel devised an amazing fighting strategy against Judah. Judah was trapped by the army of Israel in the front and the back. In fact Judah was surprised to know they were trapped and they never even expected such a move. But they did not panic or fear. When we reason with our minds, it is very obvious that Judah would not prevail against Israel. Here comes the twist – the head of the army of Judah was the Lord Himself. No great army is great enough for the Lord to handle!!! No trap is strange enough for the Lord to handle!!! Judah prevailed against Israel, contrary to all reasoning.

With God on our side as the head of our army, we need not worry or panic seeing the opposition or their strategies. Look on to God our Savior and seek Him. He will take up His role and fight our battles.

No army is big enough for Him and no traps quirky enough for Him.

Treasures uncovered

The Lord is the defense of our life. So handover your battle to Him, step aside, relax yourself holding your peace and trusting Him.

When in battle do not focus on its enormity or the quirkiness of plans devised against you, but focus on Him, your defense minister. Be strong and courageous.

No army is big enough for Him and no traps quirky enough for Him. Victory belongs to Him.

Our opposition could be circumstances, situations or even individuals or a group of individuals. No matter what, the Lord wins the battle always. Make sure not to keep any kind of enmity or bitterness towards people who are opposing. People are God’s creation and God loves them unconditionally. Remember our enmity is towards wickedness, Satan and the dark powers of the world.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for being our salvation and the defense of our life. Thank you for being on our side and never forsaking us. Help us to handover our battles to you and stay calm. Thank you for fighting our battles. We love you, in Jesus name, Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, The Trinity

The “Holy Spirit”

Posted on by christianliving4young

Personality is defined as the characteristic patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that make a person unique. Each of us have a very distinctive and unique personality. We might resemble our siblings, parents or even grandparents in few behavioral traits, however our personality will be very different from them. As we know, we are all created in the image and likeness of God. So does God have a personality? Of course, YES. Our God is a triune God and each of the Godhead has a distinctive personality, however is in perfect harmony with each other. We normally get to study about the persona of the Father and the Son, but nothing much about the Holy Spirit.

Let us open the treasure book and find the Holy Spirit.

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

The Persona of the Holy Spirit


Teach me to do Your will,
For You are my God;
Your Spirit is good.
Lead me in the land of uprightness.

Psalms 143:10


But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.

John 15:26

But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

1 Corinthians 12: 11


And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Ephesians 4:30

The Holy Spirit is good and is the Spirit of truth. He has a will of His own which is in perfect alignment with the will of the other Godheads. However, unlike the other personalities of the trinity, Holy Spirit is very gentle and sensitive. We already learned about the Father God (The anger of God) that in all unrighteousness and ungodliness, His wrath is revealed. However, with Holy Spirit the emotion is different. In Isaiah 63:10 we read “But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit;”. Ungodliness and unrighteousness grieves Him. He is very sensitive. And probably, this is the reason why Jesus taught us not to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit and that such a sin is considered unpardonable.

“Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.

Matthew 12: 31 – 32

Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation”— because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

Mark 3: 28- 30

Blasphemy is the offence of speaking in a manner showing lack of respect especially against God or sacred things. It is basically profane talk. Being disrespectful to Holy spirit and blasphemy against the Spirit will not be tolerated anytime. There is no forgiveness to such a sin – it is Unpardonable. In fact, such a person is subject to eternal condemnation. The Holy Spirit is treated with utmost respect by every persona of the trinity and expects us to do the same.

Here, Matthew 12 and Mark 3 reports the same event. When Jesus continued healing and freeing people from bondage of evil spirits, the Pharisees said Jesus is doing all this with the help of an unclean spirit. This is a blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. So be careful about what we speak about the work of Holy Spirit done through His people all around the world. Let it not be a blasphemy resulting in eternal condemnation.

So in conclusion, Holy Spirit is good, always truthful, very gentle & sensitive having a will of His own. More of His persona will be revealed to you in your personal walk with Him.

The role of Holy Spirit in our lives

Ephesians 1:13 states, when we accept Jesus as our savior, we are sealed with His Spirit. This spirit of God dwells with us and in us. The worldly man who is controlled by the desires of his flesh (Galatians 5:19-21), will not know him and cannot receive him.

If you are not saved, invite Jesus to your heart today and confess Him with your mouth to accept Him as your savior and the Spirit of God will come and abide with you and in you!!!

This concept is similar to that seen in the business world. If a big firm acquires a smaller company, a representative or a group of representatives are sent to the newly acquired organization to overlook their affairs, help them and guide them in following the company polices, rules and regulation.

Similarly, once we accept Jesus, the Holy Spirit lives with us and in us as a representative of the triune God overlooking our affairs and offering us guidance and counsel.

Let us look into the major roles of the Holy spirit in our lives as a representative of the triune Godhead.

And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever.

John 14:16

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

John 14:26


The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

2 Corinthians 13:14

The major role of Holy Spirit in our lives is that He is our Helper who abides with us and in us. He is also our teacher who teaches us all things about God, being Godly and righteous. He is also in communion with us. Communion is a close relationship with someone in which feelings and thoughts are exchanged. So he is in a relationship with us, one that is similar to a friend / Soul mate.

Treasures uncovered

The Holy Spirit is good, always truthful, very gentle & sensitive having a will of His own. More of His persona will be revealed in our personal walk with Him.

Blasphemy against the Holy spirit and being disrespectful to Him will not be tolerated anytime. It is an unpardonable sin and will never be forgiven. Such a person is under eternal condemnation.

Holy Spirit is our Helper, our Teacher and most of all our Friend and Soul Mate.

Once He comes to live in us, there are also many provisions made available to us – freedom, hope, life, secrets of God, strength, counsel, guidance and so on. He will do His part no matter what, however in order to properly make use of this helper in our life, we too should invest time in the relationship and be sensitive to His voice in our lives.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for this valuable lesson on the Holy Spirit. We thank you for sending Him to live in us and with us. Holy Spirit, we thank you for being our helper, our teacher and our friend. Thank you for all the counsel and guidance you provide us. Help us to be sensitive to your voice. Help us not to grieve you nor sin against you. Please reveal more of you in our lives. In Jesus’ name Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, The Negatives

Rebellion

Posted on by christianliving4young

Have you ever rebelled in your life? Rebellion is nothing but defiance of authority or control – it refers to the resistance against the order of any established higher authority. It could be your parents, your teachers, your educational institution, your government, etc. Sometimes it is just that we do not like a person or a group and hence will be rebellious to everything they say or do. Or sometimes it is to fight for our rights or a certain cause. Rebellion is promoted in the times that we live. Does that mean it is the right thing to do?

We will look into the treasure book to find clues.

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Clue 1: Rebellion against GOD

Rebellion against God means defying His supreme authority and control over our lives. It also means disobeying His commands and statutes.

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,
And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.

1 Samuel 15:23

Rebellion against God is SIN. More than our actions, God is interested in our hearts (What does God notice in me?). So upon weighing our hearts, if found to be rebellious and stubborn, then it is sin and evil in the eyes of God!

But they rebelled against Me and would not obey Me. They did not all cast away the abominations which were before their eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I said, ‘I will pour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.’ 

Ezekiel 20:8

As we learned in “The anger of God”, disobedience is evil in the eyes of God and continuous evildoing without repentance arouses His anger. Ezekiel 20:8, also says that disobedience and rebellion brings about the anger of God!

However, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you, as it was against your fathers.

1 Samuel 12:15

But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; So He turned Himself against them as an enemy, And He fought against them.

Isaiah 63:10

Our triune God is the ultimate power in the entire universe. He is the beginning and the end. There is no one else who is like Him. As the word of God says in Romans 8:31, when this powerful God is on our side, what can bother us – If God is for us, who can be against us? He becomes our strength and our fortress. However, if we choose to disobey God and be rebellious, then it is not going to be easy! Rebellion grieves God and turns Him into our enemy!!! His hand will be turned against us. How could we stand against the all powerful God? Do we stand a chance against HIM? If God becomes our enemy, whom do we turn to? That will be unbearable and a state that none of us would want to be in.

Rebellion against God is a SIN. It grieves God and brings about His anger. It causes His hand to be against us and to fight us like an enemy.

Clue 2: Rebellion against parents

If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and who, when they have chastened him, will not heed them, then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city, to the gate of his city. And they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones; so you shall put away the evil from among you, and all Israel shall hear and fear.

Deuteronomy 21:18-21

For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’ and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’

Matthew 15:4

The punishment for being rebellious to parents was very harsh under the law given to Israelites. Rebellious children were supposed to be stoned to death if they did not repent and heed to parents because rebellion is evil in the eyes of God. For God, death is the deserving punishment for rebellion to parents. It is that serious before God. God wants us to honor our parents and give them the respect that is due to them. It pleases Him.

Rebellion against parents is serious before God and deserves the punishment of death.

Clue 3: Rebellion against authorities

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.

Romans 13:1-2

Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.

Romans 13:7

God is the highest authority in the entire universe. So all governing authorities on the earth are appointed by Him. There is no authority that exists without God appointing them. So He wants us to be subject to these authorities, pay the right taxes and give honor to those who are deserving. Resisting them is to resist God. This brings about judgement.

The rulers are all appointed to bring about good and resist evil. However, what if the ruler itself turns evil. In that case, are we allowed to rebel? Let us look into an example from the book of Daniel chapter 3.

Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon built a huge image of himself in gold and set it up in his province to be worshipped by all people. When music is played with different kinds of musical instruments, all the people should fall down and worship the golden image. Those who disobey will be cast immediately into a burning fiery furnace. Now, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were young Jews who were put in charge of affairs of the province of Babylon. King Nebuchadnezzar was told that these men were not obedient and did not worship the golden image. He was furious and brought these young men to be questioned. When asked, they said they will not worship other Gods or the golden image of king, but only the living God. Since they disobeyed the king, he was furious and ordered the furnace to be made seven times hotter and threw these men into the furnace. The furnace was sooo hot that the men who took these young Jews were killed in the flame. The three young men fell into the middle of the furnace and when the king looked he saw four men instead of the three men who were thrown in. Seeing they did not die, the king called out to them to come out. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego came out of the furnace and those who gathered saw that the fire had no power over them. Neither their hair nor their garments were affected. There was not even any smell of fire on them. The King was astonished and praised the God of the young Jews and promoted them.

In this example we see that King Nebuchadnezzar ordered an evil decree – to bow down and worship a golden image of himself. This violated the commandment given by God – “You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image and not bow down to them nor serve them”. So the young Jews here refused to obey the command given by king because it violated God’s commandment. They did not rebel against the authority of the king but disobeyed the decree as it was against God’s command. Their heart’s intent was not to rebel against the king but to obey God’s command.

We see a similar case with Daniel. Daniel was asked to pray to King, and did not. So he was thrown into a den of lions but came out without being eaten by them. His intent was to obey God and keep his commands. God delivered Daniel from the lions.

If the decrees issued by our authorities is in direct violation of God’s commands, we should make every effort to obey the commands of God who is the highest authority, no matter what the consequences are going to be. But our heart should not rebel against the authorities. God will definitely deliver us out of the consequences, like how he did supernaturally for the young Jews and Daniel.

Rebellion against authorities ordained by God is to resist God Himself and brings about judgement. If decrees and laws put up by authorities are against God’s command, rebellion is not the option but choose to obey God’s commands as He is supreme authority.

Treasures uncovered

Rebellion against God is a SIN. It grieves God and brings about His anger. It causes His hand to be against us and to fight us like an enemy.

Rebellion against parents is serious before God and deserves the punishment of death.

Rebellion against authorities ordained by God is to resist God Himself and brings about judgement. If decrees and laws put up by authorities are against God’s command, rebellion is not the option but choose to obey God’s commands as He is supreme authority.

God hates rebellion and considers it Sin. Because our God hates a rebellious heart, rebellion is never an option for us except when it comes to devil. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for teaching us that rebellion is never an option for us because you hate a rebellious heart. Father, help us to not follow the world and what it considers right but be obedient to you and always keep your commands. In Jesus name, Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, God & Me

The anger of God

Posted on by christianliving4young

Have you ever been a subject of someone’s anger? Specially those who have authority over you like your parents, teachers, bosses, etc.? Well, it is not an easy thing to handle!!! No one can predict how people act when they get angry. The aftermath of anger can be pretty serious. It makes us miserable, helpless and sad – it can even hurt us physically and mentally. It might take several days or even months to get back to normal. This is the case when we are subject to human anger.

Does God ever get angry? What would it be like?

Let us open the treasure book to find clues.

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Clue 1: Does God get Angry?

The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. 

Psalm 103:8-9

For His anger is but for a moment, his favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. 

Psalm 30:5

God is LOVE. He is merciful and gracious. These are His major traits that are evidently seen. However, He does get angry but is very slow to get there. Nevertheless, His anger does not last for long. His favor towards His children is life-long because His mercy and kindness overpower the anger factor. Anger is not the major behavioral trait of God.

So, God does get Angry, but this is not His major characteristic. He is slow to anger and His anger is momentary – does not last for long.

Clue 2: What provokes / kindles His anger?

There are many instances in the bible that addresses God’s anger. We will look into a couple of them.

Example 1: Individual behavior – 1 Kings 11

We know that King Solomon is the wisest of wise in the history of human kind. Solomon loved God and walked in His ways when he was young. God also appeared to him twice during his life time. However, there was a major flaw in his life. He married from nations that the Lord said not to marry from and had warned, “Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.” He loved many foreign women including the daughter of Pharaoh and clung to them. Eventually, it happened as God had warned. When Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart after other gods. His heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, but went after other Gods. He built places of worship for all the Gods his foreign wives worshiped. Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not fully follow the Lord. So the Lord became ANGRY with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the Lord God, who had appeared to him twice and had commanded him not to go after other gods. Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Because you have done this, and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant. Nevertheless, I will not do it in your days, for the sake of your father David. I will tear it out of the hand of your son. But, I will not tear away the whole kingdom, I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.”

Here we see an individual who provoked God to anger. God strictly warned the Israelites not to marry from other nations knowing very well that this could turn them away to other Gods. Solomon, even being the wisest of the wise and having a personal relationship with God, missed out on this command. As we learned in “What is your relationship status?”, anything that takes up space in our heart more than God is our idol. For Solomon, His love for other women took up more priority in his heart than God. He clung on to them more than God. Hence his heart was turned away from God. This is an after effect of straying away from God’s commands. He started worshipping idols. This is evil in the eyes of God.

Solomon disobeyed God and did evil in the eyes of God. This made GOD ANGRY. Again, as we learned in “Obedience“, there is punishment associated with disobedience . But even in the punishment God gave Solomon, we see the love, faithfulness and graciousness of God. He remembered His servant David (Solomon’s father) and made the punishment lighter for the sake of David.

Example 2: Corporate behavior

Numbers 11: 1-2

Now when the people complained, it displeased the Lord; for the Lord heard it, and His anger was aroused. So the fire of the Lord burned among them, and consumed some in the outskirts of the camp. Then the people cried out to Moses, and when Moses prayed to the Lord, the fire was quenched. 

Judges 2: 11 – 15

Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served the Baals; and they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed other gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them, and they bowed down to them; and they provoked the Lord to anger. They forsook the Lord and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel.  So He delivered them into the hands of plunderers who despoiled them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies. Wherever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for calamity, as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn to them. And they were greatly distressed.

Here we see God is angered because of corporate behavior. God’s chosen people Israelites, complained after God brought them out of slavery in Egypt. The Lord heard them complaining and being ungrateful. This aroused His anger. There were consequences associated with it. In the second instance, the Israelites, did evil in the eyes of God – disobedience by worshipping idols. They were punished and were in great distress.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.

Romans 1:18

In fact, in all unrighteousness and ungodliness, the wrath of God is revealed. Disobedience, idol worship, complaining, being ungrateful, etc., are evil before God and fruits of unrighteousness / ungodliness. Individually and corporately, evildoing kindles the anger of God and there are consequences associated with this.

Treasures uncovered

God gets Angry, but this is not His major characteristic. He is slow to anger and His anger does not last for long.

Individually and corporately, evildoing kindles the anger of God and there are consequences associated with this.

As soon as you realize the mistake on your part, repent and plead mercy. God is gracious to forgive and He abounds in mercy. Moreover, our advocate Jesus pleads on our behalf. Put away all wickedness from your heart that leads you to unrighteousness. Repent and cling on to Jesus.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for teaching us this aspect of your character. Thank you for being merciful and gracious. Help us to realize the unrighteousness in our life and put it away. Help our hearts to cling on to you and nothing else. Thank you Jesus for taking our punishments. In Jesus name, Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, The Negatives

Our language matters !!!

Posted on by christianliving4young

In this time that we live, following trends and being trendy is very common especially among youngsters. It is considered COOL to be following the latest trends. Using foul or vulgar language is considered very trendy and cool. The social media and even the visual media promotes this to a great extent. Most of the web series and movies that we like to watch is filled with abusive / bad language. It is glorified and promoted such that people think it is normal to use those words. Is it okay to follow trends like these blindly? Well, everyone does it and considers it cool does not mean it is always the right thing to do.

Let us open the treasure book to find out more about this.

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Clue 1: Is it okay to use bad words?

With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?

James 3:9-12

Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.

Ephesians 4:29

But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.

Colossians 3:8

The word of God is our ultimate manual on how to life. It clearly instructs us not to use filthy language. Because we use our mouth to praise God and worship Him. With the same mouth we should not speak cursing words or abusive language to people who are created in the likeness of God. As how a source of fresh water only gives fresh water and not bitter water, we should not speak abusive or bad words that are bitter before God. Unwholesome or corrupt words should not be spoken but only those words that builds or edifies others. So be watchful of the words that you speak. Following trends and going behind them should not cost us our relationship with God and eventually, eternity.

It is not okay to speak abusive / corruptive words, because we use the same mouth to bless our father, our God.

Clue 2: Consequences of filthy language

He also loved cursing, and it came [back] to him; He did not delight in blessing, so it was far from him.

Psalms 109:17, Amplified

The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, But the perverse tongue will be cut out.

Proverbs 10:31

But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Matthew 12:36- 37

As we learned in “Speaking right“, the words that we speak are powerful. Life and death are in the power of tongue and those who love it will eat it’s fruit. Perverse tongue is a sign of unrighteousness. If we use filthy language, we are not in right standing with God. Those who love to use cursing words must beware, for the word of God confirms that the curses that they speak will definitely come back to them. Moreover, for every careless word that we speak, even if it is spoken just for fun, we are accountable before God. Depending on the words that we speak, we will be either justified or condemned.

Clue 3: Desirable language

“He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit.

1 Peter 3:10

Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.

1 Peter 3:10

Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

Colossians 4:6

We should refrain ourselves from speaking evil, if we wish to have a good life and if we wish to be in right standing with God. We should keep ourselves from speaking filthiness, foolish talks and vulgar talks even if it is spoken only for fun or for amusing others. Our speech should always be with grace, like a seasoning that is used for food which gives it the flavor and taste. Our graceful speech will complement our character – the icing on top, fitting rightly for a child of God.

Treasures uncovered

Abusive / filthy / foul language should not be used even for the purpose of amusing others / fun or for following trends.

Bad language is a sign of unrighteousness and it has consequences. We are accountable before God for every idle word that we speak.

As how seasoning adds flavor and taste to food, our graceful speech adds flavor to our character.

Always speak right. Do not use foul language to follow trends or to show-off in front of others. It costs us our relationship with God. Consciously refrain yourselves from them. And speak wholesome and fruitful words with grace, giving thanks to God, praising Him and encouraging / building others as is fitting for a child of God.

Prayer:

Father, thank you for teaching us that the use of bad language is not right even for joking. Holy Spirit, awaken our consciousness and help us to refrain from evil talking. Help us to always speak graciously as is fitting for a child of God. In Jesus name, Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, Life Skills

Handling Mess-ups

Posted on by christianliving4young

We have messed-up many things, many times over the years. We were lucky enough to get out of at least a few of them without being caught. However, many times we were caught red-handed. How did you face such situations? We were questioned left and right as to why we ended up making this mistake, how this happened and so on. When confronted, it is a normal tendency to answer with many excuses, like – it is not my fault, it is because of this/that, it is because of you/him/her/them and so on….. We usually try to blame others or the situations or even God for the mishaps. Is it okay to be handling mistakes this way?

Let us open the treasure book and find clues.

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Clue 1: Example of Adam & Eve

In Genesis chapter 2 we see that, God after creating Adam, took him and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend it and keep it. God commanded him that he could eat from every tree in the garden except from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Knowing it is not good that Adam is alone, God also made him a companion – a woman. In Genesis chapter 3, we see that the serpent lured the woman into eating the forbidden fruit. She also gave it to her husband Adam and he too ate it. Then their eyes were opened and they knew they messed up. When God came to meet them, they hid from Him as they were afraid to face Him. God asked Adam, “Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” He answered, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, gave me and I ate.” When God asked the woman she said, the serpent deceived me and I ate.

Here we see that, when Adam was questioned about the mistake, rather than taking the responsibility and giving a simple answer – “Yes, I did”, he replied “The woman whom YOU gave me, gave it and I ate.” Eating the forbidden fruit is the act of disobedience here. Although, eating the fruit was his own willful choice, Adam blamed the woman and God Himself. He in fact blamed God for providing him a companion and blamed his companion – the woman, for giving the fruit to him. The woman also behaved similarly when questioned. She too, rather than taking the responsibility and answering “I am sorry I ate it”, blamed the serpent.

The blaming did not help either of them. God is a righteous judge. Adam, Eve and the serpent were punished for their respective actions. Even though tempted by the serpent, it was their (Adam & Eve) willful choice to eat the fruit.

Blaming one another or God or the situation is not the right way to handle mess-ups or mistakes. We alone are responsible for our actions because our actions are an outcome of our own willful choice, even if influenced by others. So blaming others or God doesn’t help.

Clue 2: Take responsibility

Always make sure to speak the truth. If you made a mistake, take responsibility for your actions by first admitting it rather than blaming others or situations. As we saw, blaming doesn’t help. It only hurts and puts a strain on the relationships that are involved. If Adam & Eve handled the situation differently, things would have turned out much better for them, because God is gracious and merciful.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9

He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.

Proverbs 28:13

The word of God also clearly states that covering up sins will not turn out to be good eventually, but confessing them will open doors to mercy. Covering up the mess or concealing it might save our face for a short period, however it will surface eventually and will get us into a deeper state of mess. Although, confessing mistakes is not an easy process, it will fetch us mercy and will bring us peace eventually.

So first, confess your mistakes and repent before God. Tell Him, “Father I messed up. Please forgive me. I am truly sorry for my actions”. He is just and faithful to forgive us. Then ask for His help and guidance to come out of it. He will cover us with His mercy and grace, and guide us out of the mess.

Treasures uncovered

Do not blame God, others or situations for our mess-ups because our actions are an outcome of our own willful choice.

Take responsibility for your actions by admitting your mistakes and not concealing them.

Repent and ask forgiveness, God is faithful and just to forgive.

Do not play the Blame Game like Adam & Eve. We alone are responsible for our actions and no-one else. So be bold to admit your mistakes and take responsibility. Do not conceal it, but repent and ask for forgiveness. God is faithful and just to forgive us.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for teaching us on how to handle mess-ups. Please forgive us for concealing it and blaming it on others. Help us to realize our mistakes, take responsibility and confess it before you. Father, forgive us our trespasses. In Jesus name, Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, Life Skills

Be Happy !!!

Posted on by christianliving4young

Have you posed for a picture lately? Get a camera, get the lighting right, then pose and say “Cheese”…. CLICK!!! Why do we always smile for pictures? We all prefer to look good in pictures. Smiling make us look happy and cheerful so we try to give a decent smile rather than a sulking face for pictures. A person looking at a happy picture feels happy because happiness is contagious. Haven’t you seen people who are full of Joy and Happiness spreading it to the people around them? Who doesn’t like to be happy? Even though we prefer to be Happy, that is not the case always – days of gloominess and sadness are also a part of our lives. How can we stay happy even when our circumstances are not right?

Let us open the treasure book to find clues.

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Clue 1: The source of true happiness

for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Romans 14:17 NKJV

When we accept Jesus as our savior, we shift our citizenship from kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of God. And when we enter this kingdom – righteousness, peace and JOY in the Holy spirit are made available for us. The righteousness bought by the blood of Jesus, divine peace that transcends all understanding and everlasting JOY are all available for us. Like how certain passports provides certain privileges, JOY is a privilege we enjoy as a holder of the passport of the kingdom of God. It is up to us whether we use the privilege or not.

JOY in the Holy Spirit is a privilege we enjoy in the kingdom of God.

Different things brings happiness to different people. For some it is music, for some others eating good food lift up their spirits, there are others who cheer up after a nap, for some others it is watching funny videos and so on. However, if we depend on these momentary things for our happiness, it will soon die off when the moment passes by.

You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalms 16:11

Honor and majesty are before Him; Strength and gladness are in His place.

I Chronicles 16:27

The fulIness of joy or the complete form of joy is only found in the presence of God. There is gladness in His place. So having a fellowship with God who is the complete form of Joy ensures that this joy is transferred to us. When we spend time with Him – talking to Him and walking with Him and living in Him, we also overflow with joy and gladness, spreading it everywhere we go. This is the kind of JOY that stays and do not die off. If we abound with this Joy, even when the circumstances looks grim, the gladness will not depart from us.

God is the source of ultimate JOY and being with Him makes our heart also abound with JOY regardless of our circumstances.

Clue 2: The effect of Happiness

A merry heart does good, like medicine,
But a broken spirit dries the bones.

Proverbs 17:22

A happy heart is like medicine, it does good to the physical and mental well- being of a person. However sadness is bad for the health. Scientific researches also has proven that happiness is good for health – it boosts our immune system.

So DON’T WORRY, BE HAPPY ! ! !

Clue 3: God’s will for us

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

I Thessalonians 5:16‭-‬18

We know that God is always Good. He always wants the best for us. His will for us is that we always rejoice, pray without stopping and give thanks in everything. When we pray, we are communicating with God and having a fellowship with Him. This will fill us with His JOY. God wants us to be always rejoicing. So rejoice in everything and make this your lifestyle. If things don’t work out the way it should be – do not worry, but rejoice because all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Rejoice always – this is the will of God for us in Christ Jesus.

Treasures uncovered

JOY in the Holy Spirit is a privilege we enjoy in the kingdom of God.

God is the source of ultimate JOY and being with Him makes our heart also abound with JOY regardless of our circumstances.

BE HAPPY, Happiness has medicinal effect on body and mind.

It is the will of God in Christ Jesus that we “Rejoice always”.

Prayer:

Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls—
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.

Habakkuk 3:17-18

Father, we thank you for making JOY available to us. Help us to rejoice always. In Jesus name, Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, The Negatives

Quarrel

Posted on by christianliving4young

It is not a possibility that different individuals always agree on everything. Each one has a different individuality and hence different view points. So disagreements are unavoidable. Quarrel is a heated argument / disagreement between people. It usually involves yelling and screaming to a great extent. It is very common in a household with small children. Those who have siblings know very well what it means to quarrel. Most of us would have had numerous quarrels with our siblings while growing up and our parents would have had tough times handing it. We would also have quarreled with friends, cousins, spouses, colleagues and even parents when we do not agree with them on certain decisions or issues. Is quarrelling the right way of handling disagreements?

Let us see what the treasure book has to say about this.

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Clue 1: Is quarrelling alright?

A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city, And contentions are like the bars of a castle.

Proverbs 18:19

During quarrels, people will be angry and they speak without thinking. This can hurt and offend others who are involved. A person who is offended is harder to win than a strong city. And for this person, these quarrels / conflicts becomes a stronghold like the bars of a castle. It is not right to hurt and offend others.

But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth.

2 Timothy 2:23-25

So, the word of God asks us to avoid silly disagreements / arguments or disputes as they can lead into conflicts. Being children of God serving the kingdom, we are asked to abstain from quarrelling. It is not alright for a child of God to quarrel. However, if unavoidable disagreements arise, we should deal with it being gentle and patient. We should always try to correct others in humility.

Clue 2: Behavioral traits leading to quarrel

By pride comes nothing but strife,
But with the well-advised is wisdom.

Proverbs 13:10

A wrathful man stirs up strife, But he who is slow to anger allays contention.

Proverbs 15:18

Cast out the scoffer, and contention will leave; Yes, strife and reproach will cease.

Proverbs 22:10

As charcoal is to burning coals, and wood to fire, So is a contentious man to kindle strife.

Proverbs 26:21

Pride, anger and scoffing kindles quarrels and strife. The same way how wood brings up fire, one who is argumentative and who speaks controversial statements will arouse quarrels. A person who mocks should be put away as quarrel / strife is his kin. Similarly a person who is quick to anger also stirs up quarrel, but the one who is slow to anger will put out / diminish quarrels. Keep yourselves from these traits to abstain from quarrelling.

Clue 3: Handling disagreements

But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless. 

Titus 3:9-11

The beginning of strife is like releasing water; Therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts.

Proverbs 17:14

A soft answer turns away wrath,
But a harsh word stirs up anger.

Proverbs 15:1

Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 

Philippians 2:14-15

First of all, we need to avoid silly disputes that are useless and unprofitable. However, if unavoidable disagreements arise, make sure not to elevate it to quarreling. Once quarrel starts, it is similar to water released from a dam – there is no way of stopping it. Therefore, stop it before it reaches the state of quarrelling. Put your points across with humility, using non-provocative words in a soft tone without yelling, screaming or being angry. This way we can arrive at possible and agreeable, wise solutions.

Let us now see examples from the word of God on how disputes were dealt with.

Example 1: Genesis 13:5-9

Abraham and Lot lived in tents. They were rich and had great and numerous possessions. But the land they lived in was not able to support them together. There began strife between Abraham’s servants and Lot’s servants. So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen. Please separate from me and choose an area to live. I will take the opposite direction.

Here Abraham acted very wise. As soon as he knew about the strife, he addressed it and tried to find a solution. He was gentle and humble giving the other person the right to choose thereby avoiding any kinds of strife or quarreling between them.

Example 2: Genesis 26:20-22

In the olden days, people had to dig wells for water to sustain their families and livestock. Isaac moved from place to place like his father, living in tents. So each place they choose to stay, they dug wells. One such time when Isaac’s herdsmen dug well and found water, the herdsmen of the area quarreled with them, saying, “The water is ours.” So they left its custody and dug another well. The herdsmen quarreled over that one also. Isaac moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it.

Isaac and his servants did not quarrel with the men of the place even though the well was rightfully theirs but left it two times in a row. Issac and his men were very patient and gentle to let go of the custody of the wells they dug. This act of theirs made the people not to quarrel with them a third time avoiding strife and quarrels.

Both Abraham and Isaac avoided disputes and quarrels identifying them as unprofitable.

Treasures uncovered

Quarrelling isn’t the right way of handling disagreements.

Pride, anger and scoffing kindles quarrels and strife.

Avoid silly disputes that are useless and unprofitable.

Be gentle and patient. Put across possible solution in humility and in a soft tone.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for teaching us how to handle disagreements. Thank you for shining your light on this. Help us to handle disagreements in a proper and productive way. Help us to be gentle, patient and be humble in all out ways. In Jesus name, Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, Life Skills

Handling Ridicule

Posted on by christianliving4young

In the world that we live today, it is a very common practice to ridicule or mock people who are differently abled or who think differently than what is considered normal. This is instilled by the society from a very young age. At school, mostly we see differently abled children or differently looking children being bullied / ridiculed by others who consider themselves normal. It is done just because of the fact that they are different from the rest. Young to old, rich to poor, influential to non-influential – this practice is seen everywhere irrespective of cultures or language or religion. Have you ever been ridiculed / mocked for thinking differently from the crowd or behaving differently from the crowd or looking differently from the crowd? Or have you bullied others because they were different?

When ridiculed, different people react it in different ways. Some get offended and hurt, some cry, some shout back, some others get angry, some others build hatred and bitterness towards those who ridiculed them and so on. How do you handle ridicule? Do you show your anger at them or mock them back or hate them?

Let us see what the treasure book says about handling ridicule.

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Is ridiculing an acceptable behavior?

The dictionary meaning of ridicule is “the act of making fun of someone or something in a cruel or harsh way with mean / unkind comments or behavior”.

… And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.”

Matthew 5:22

The word of God clearly states that ridiculing or mocking is not an acceptable behavior. Those who ridicule are in the danger of going to hell. But, everyone is not aware of this truth and in life we are sure to come across at least a few people who ridicule us. If we do not learn to handle it, then definitely it will hurt us. It will weigh down our self-confidence, brings in bitterness / hatred and might slow down or even stop us from carrying out the mission / purpose for which God sent us.

How did Jesus handle ridicule ?

In the Bible we see a lot of people, but Jesus is the only one who lived a perfect life without sin. Hence, learning from His life is the bestest option we have.

RIDICULE BY STRANGERS (Mark 5:21‭-‬23‭, ‬35‭-‬42)

One day, one of the rulers of the synagogue named Jairus came to see Jesus. He fell at Jesus’s feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is dying, please come and heal her.” While he was still speaking, someone from his house came and said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” When Jesus heard this, He said to Jairus, “Do not be afraid, only believe.” He took three of His disciples and went to Jairus’s house. There He saw a large crowd weeping and wailing loudly. When He came in, He told them, “Why make this commotion? The child is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him. But He put them all outside, took the father and the mother of the child along with those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying. Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And those present in the room were overcome with great amazement.

Jesus, the Son of God Himself was ridiculed. So do you think we have a chance out of it? Never!!! In this story, we see that Jairus’s daughter was dead when Jesus arrived at his house. When Jesus told the crowd that the little girl was sleeping, they ridiculed Him. He acted differently from everyone else and so they ridiculed Him. Jesus ignored the ridiculing. Neither did He bother about the people who ridiculed Him. He moved ahead with His mission as though nothing was spoken. And because of that the little girl came back to life. What if Jesus stopped because of other’s mockery?

RIDICULE BY NEAR & DEAR ONES (John 7: 3-5)

Again in John 7, we see Jesus being ridiculed by His brothers. They did not believe in Him or the miracles He performed. It really hurts when people whom we consider “our own” ridicules us. In such cases, we tend to react based on our emotions – screaming, shouting, crying or saying nonsense out of anger. But Jesus remained calm and answered them politely. He showed us the best and perfect way to react when ridiculed by our loved ones. It is not easy to behave this way, but with God’s help it is possible.

RIDICULE BY AUTHORITIES (Luke 23:6-12)

Jesus was also mocked and ridiculed by Herod, a ruling authority while He was under trial. We see that He remained silent there. Jesus is the Son of God and has greater authority than Herod. He could have behaved differently. The contempt and mockery by Herod did not get to Him. He chose to remain silent as His focus was on the greater plan of God – the salvation of mankind.

Ridiculing did not get to Jesus because He was focused and mindful of the mission He came for. Nothing else affected Him. Doing the will of His father was His priority. His ear was deaf to the mockery and ridiculing that people did to Him. Wherever He had to keep silence, He remained silent. Wherever He had to speak, He spoke. Even at the point of death He prayed for those who mocked and ridiculed Him saying, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” This shows He did not hate those who ridiculed Him but had compassion on them and interceded for them.

He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself, And he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself.”

Proverbs 9:7

The word of God in Proverbs 9:7 confirms that you cannot correct a scoffer or a mocker. This is probably the reason why Jesus kept silent and did not bother to correct any of the mockery statements, but rather prayed for them.

Treasures uncovered

Ridiculing is not an acceptable behavior, but we will have to handle it right.

Be deaf to ridiculing and mockery.

Doing God’s will should be your priority and not what people think about you or talk about you.

Rather than trying to correct a mocker / scoffer, pray for them.

Shut your ears and heart to ridicules. If not it will weigh down your self confidence and can even stop you from carrying out your purpose in life. Focus on God’s will and the purpose for which He sent you, not on how people think about you or talk about you.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for teaching us on how to handle ridiculing. Help us to shut our ears and heart to mockery and focus on doing your will. Father, help us not be concerned about what people think about us but be focused on what you think about us. In Jesus name, Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, Life Skills

How to approach Goals?

Posted on by christianliving4young

Being the beginning of a new year, most of us would have made at least a few resolutions – maybe to do a bible reading plan, or to loose weight and stay healthy, or learn a new language, or the like. In most cases what happens is that, in a span of one or two months, many of these resolutions will be gone with the wind. At the end of the year when we turn back, we will see that we have not accomplished much. Most of it would have been easy to achieve. But why not accomplished? Maybe, we are not approaching them in the right way!

Let us find out an ideal way to approach a plan / goal so as to be fruitful. As always let us see what the treasure book has to say…

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

1. Take it to the Lord in prayer and ask for His help and guidance.

Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’

Jeremiah 33:3

As we learned in Successful planning, our plans / goals should align with the plan of God to be fruitful. So keep the plans in prayer and ask for God’s counsel. God will reveal to us if they are in line with His plans or not. Ask for His help and guidance. He will guide our steps to move forward.

2. Make a step by step action plan

The plan that is conceived in your heart, should eventually be put into action.

For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’?

Luke 14:28-30

Here Jesus is asking a question to His disciples. It clearly indicates that for any goal that we pursue in life, we should have an action plan. Make a step by step action plan to have clarity on how to move forward. If not, you will feel lost not knowing which direction to move in.

Without counsel, plans go awry, But in the multitude of counselors they are established.

Proverbs 15:22

Do a proper research on the subject if you are not well versed with it, get advise from experts, also get information from people who already succeeded in carrying out such tasks.

Once you have an action plan, work with definite timelines and deadlines. If there are no deadlines, there will be no accountability and the plan will go on and on…. indefinitely…. and you might end up accomplishing only a part or maybe nothing at all.

3. Be determined to move forward and not succumb to failures

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:13

Determination is very important. The task you have taken up might not be easy. There might be days that you fail. But these failures should not stop you from reaching your goal. You should be determined to continue no matter what happens. Remember, failures are not full stops but just a coma. Moreover, as the proverb says “Failures are stepping stones to success”. Even the people around you might discourage you, mock you and hurt you because of all the failures concerning your goal. When discouragement and failure comes your way, doubt creeps in – “will I be able to accomplish?”. But remember, all things are possible with God and with God by our side, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

4. Stay on track and be focused

Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you.

Proverbs 4:25

We all have seen different kinds of trains, trams, subways, etc. They have specific tracks assigned for them to move from one station to another. What if a train derails and gets off-track? It will be a chaos!!! The train wont be able to move forward until it is reinstated to its track. Similarly, if we do not stay on the path chosen for the goal, we will not move forward to accomplish the goal. There are different distractions that take our focus off the goal and blur our vision leading us to stray away from track. Beware of such distractions that ruin our plan forever. Let us look into an example of distraction.

Samson and Delilah ( Judges 16 )

Samson was a Nazirite to God from his mothers womb. Nazirites are Israelites who are consecrated to the service of God, under vows to abstain from all wine and anything else made from grapes. They grow their hair and not cut it, also they avoid defilement by contact with dead bodies (Nazirites – Numbers 6). God sent Samson to deliver Israelites out of the hand of Philistines. This was his purpose.

Samson was so strong and caused many causalities to the Philistines. They greatly feared him and was waiting for an opportunity to devour him. Samson loved a woman named Delilah. Knowing this, the lords of Philistines offered her riches to entice Samson in telling her the secret of his strength. She asked him about the secret of his strength and he gave an answer to her but did not tell her the truth. Whatever Samson told Delilah, she passed it on to the Philistine lords and they waited at her place to rip him off his strength and seize him. But since the actual secret of his strength was not revealed, they could not take hold of him. From this incident Samson did not learn that Delilah did not love him but is siding the Philistine lords. He again went to see her and she repeated the same question. This time also Samson did not tell her the true secret behind his strength. Again the Philistine lords tried to seize him and they couldn’t. This happened a third time and again they couldn’t take hold of him. But Delilah kept on trying and finally Samson gave in. He told her the actual secret and she revealed them to the Philistine lords. This time they ripped him off his strength, seized him and took him as a prisoner.

Here we see that, Samson did not recognize the distraction. After the first time, he should have known that his friendship with Delilah is a distraction that could trap him and move him away from God’s plan and purpose for his life. However, he did not recognize, instead went on with it. Finally he got caught and was brutally dealt with. Now Delilah on the other hand, kept on persisting. She failed many times, but the failure did not stop her from pursuing her plan. She did not stop but continued and achieved her goal. Even though Delilah’s intentions were evil, her persistence and determination to succeed is noticeable.

5. Periodical review and assessment

Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established.

Proverbs 4:26

We should review our path periodically and learn from our previous mistakes and failures. Keep track of our developments and asses our progress – how far we have come?, how long we have to go?, are we following the action plan?, are we respecting the timeline?, etc. It will help us to decide on whether we should increase our pace, slow down or move as it is. It will also help us recognize the distractions that slowed us down.

Treasures uncovered

How to ideally approach goals?

Take it to the Lord in prayer and ask for His help and guidance.

Make a step by step action plan.

Be determined to move forward and not succumb to failures.

Stay on track and be focused

Periodically review and assess progress

Approaching goals and plans in this way would definitely help us to reach our goal, be fruitful and successful.

Prayer:

May He grant you according to your heart’s desire, And fulfill all your purpose.

Psalm 20:4

Father, thank you for revealing to us how to ideally approach a goal. Help us and direct us in all our goals so as to be fruitful and successful. Strengthen us to move forward during times of failure. Help us to stay focused, recognize the distractions that come our way and move away from it. In Jesus name, Amen.