Category: God & Me

Posted in Ages 11 & above, God & Me

The abiding place

Posted on by christianliving4young

We all love to live in a beautiful house that is clean and well arranged with elegant and comfortable furniture. Along with the protection and shelter it offers, we want our house to be a place where we can peacefully unwind and be ourselves. A place where we can be happy without any cares, regrets or worries. Wherever we are during the day, we would long to get back to our “comfy space” to chillax. Probably you are right now in your comfy space reading this. Like how our body needs a proper space, our soul too needs to be abiding in the right place. Let us find which is the right abiding place for our soul.

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Abiding in Jesus



Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

John 15:4-6

Jesus is teaching us to abide in Him. He uses an example of a vine and its branches to illustrate this. Jesus is compared to a vine and we, the people, to its branches. If a branch is detached from the vine, it cannot live on its own. The nutrients required to survive will not reach the branch as it is separated from the plant and withers away very soon. So to survive and eventually bear fruit, the branch should be attached to the plant. If not, it will definitely wither away and becomes useless. All the branches that wither are gathered and thrown into fire. Similarly, if we are separated from Jesus, we cannot survive on our own or bear any fruit for God’s kingdom. If we do not remain in Jesus, we too will wither away into the path of destruction and will be thrown in to the eternal fire. So our soul abiding in Jesus, is crucial for our eternal life.

Also, when a branch is attached to the plant, both becomes one entity. Similarly, when we remain in Jesus, we become one with Him – we abide in Him and He in us. We will bear much fruit in this case. But without Him, we cannot do anything.

How to abide in Him and He in us?

Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

1 John 4:15

Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

1 John 3:24

He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

1 John 2:6

To abide in Him and He in us – we need to confess that Jesus is the Son of God, keep His commands and walk in His ways. If you have not confessed yet, this is the right time to confess that Jesus is the “Son of God”. If you do, He will make you His dwelling place and you will dwell in Him. The Holy Spirit comes to live inside you and will teach you to keep His commands as we already learned in “The Holy Spirit”. As a branch that is attached to a plant, you too will be remaining in Jesus, bearing much fruit.

To abide in Jesus and He in you, confess Jesus as the Son of God, keep His commands and walk in His ways. You will bear much fruit and will not wither away or be thrown in to the eternal fire.

Abiding in Jesus will give you eternal life and will save your soul from eternal fire.

Abiding in Word


Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

2 John 9:31-32

“The word of God” is the ultimate truth. Jesus is teaching us that we should abide in His word. If we abide in His word, we will know the truth and this truth will set us free. In the world that we live, we read and study many subjects that gives us knowledge and understanding. It helps us to live healthy, obey law and order, eat the right food, get to know our rights, the facilities available to us, current affairs of the world etc. However, illiterate people do not know these and are exploited very much because of their ignorance. Similarly, the devil will be able to exploit us and afflict us if we are ignorant about the spiritual truths. Because the Word is filled with numerous spiritual truths, reading & studying it will help us to get to know those truths and it will set us free.

Abiding in the word brings freedom to your soul.

Abiding in Love

“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.

John 15 : 9-11

Jesus is teaching us to abide in His love. His love, as we know, is unconditional and everlasting. Jesus enduring the cross is the biggest example of the unconditional love of God. We abide in His love when we keep His commandments and walk in His ways. So keeping His commandments helps us to abide in Him and also in His love.

Jesus promises us that when we abide in these, His joy will remain in us and we will have the fullness of JOY. Just imagine your soul filled with an everlasting joy that is complete – without any worries or regrets or hopelessness, but just JOY. This is the comfy space we all long for – fullness of joy that is ever lasting.

Treasures uncovered

Our Soul should abide in Jesus, His word and His love. This will result in fullness of Joy – the perfect “comfy space” our soul could be in.

Abiding in Jesus will give us eternal life and will save our soul from eternal fire. Abiding in the word brings freedom to our soul.

To abide in Jesus and He in us, we should confess Jesus as the Son of God, keep His commands and walk in His ways.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for teaching us about the perfect abiding place for our soul. Help us to abide in Jesus, in His word and in His love by keeping His commandments and walking in His ways. Holy Spirit, thank you for living inside us and guiding us. Help us to have the fullness of joy. 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, God & Me

What is your relationship status?

Posted on by christianliving4young

We humans are social beings and so we associate with many people in our life. We share various types of relationships with them such as friendship, partnership, family relationships, romantic relationships, etc. Among these, certain relationships are very special to us. We invest our heart and soul in such relationships. We love and care those people so very much. But what if, they did not value us or our feelings and what if they ignore us? Each one of us has definitely experienced at least one such relationship. How did it feel? Weren’t you hurt to the core? Have we hurt anyone likewise?

What about our relationship with God? Are we ignoring and hurting Him?

Let us open the treasure book to find clues on this!

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Clue 1: The relationship

Our relationship with God

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

John 1:12-13

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs–heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”

Romans 8: 16-17

If you have received Jesus then you are a rightful child of God. In this world that we live, legal children inherit everything that their parents own. If there is more than one child, their possessions will be divided among the children. Here the scripture says we are his legal children, so we have an inheritance from father God and we are joint heirs with our big brother Jesus.

Furthermore, GOD is our Creator. He is our Lord and our Savior, our King, our Strength and our Refuge, our Best friend and our Brother, our Super Hero, our Help and our Healer, our Comforter and our Counselor. In fact, He is EVERYTHING to us.

God’s relationship with us

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

John 3:16

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8

God loves us so very much that he gave his beloved son to die for our sake. If we believe in Him we do not have to take the eternal punishment we deserve but can have life everlasting. Romans 5:8 confirms that God loves us unconditionally – while we were still sinners Christ died for us. Our friends or our family will not dare to die for our sake, not even our parents who loves us the most. The love of God towards us is unconditional and above every other love we see and experience.

Zechariah 2:8 says he who touches you touches the apple of His eye. God considers us as the apple of his eyes. This expression indicates that we are very precious for Him and are His priced possession whom He values very much.

So the RELATIONSHIP that we share with Him is VERY SPECIAL. No “one” or no “thing” can ever fill His “shoes” in our lives. We are incomplete and lost without Him. And for Him, we are very precious and are His priced possession.

Clue 2: The relationship status

Commitment, faithfulness, loyalty, honesty, respect, love and care, being available for one another are certain key aspects in all relationships. Just that the levels of these aspects vary for the different types of relationships. If the levels of all these aspects are weak, then the relationship grows cold and will not last for long. People in serious relationships are expected to stay committed to one another, be faithful, sincere, love, respect and care for one another, be true to their word and be there for each other through thick & thin.

God’s part

God keeps all these aspects required for the relationship. We know that he loves us unconditionally and cares for us. He introduced Himself as “I AM WHO I AM” to Moses in Exodus 3:14. HE becomes the “WHO” we are in need of, at any given point of time. He is always available and very committed in this relationship.

For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.”

2 Corinthians 1:20

Furthermore, He is faithful and always keeps his word. All His promises are Yes and Amen. He is very serious about the relationship.

So the relationship status of God is ” SERIOUSLY COMMITTED”.

Our part

Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.

Matthew 22:37-38

“You shall have no other gods before Me.

Exodus 20:3

The first and the greatest commitment from our part for this relationship with God is to put Him First and to Love Him with All our HEART, All our SOUL and All our MIND. All our heart, soul and mind should be committed to loving Him as we already learned (Give it all). If we love God with all our heart then nothing else will take His place in our life. There won’t be any place for Evil or Wickedness. We will depart from it and hate it. And if love for God takes up all of our heart then we will not have anyone / anything else before Him. God should be our first priority no matter what situation we are in!

So what is your relationship status? Seriously committed ? Or not?

Clue 3: Signs of a broken relationship

If we prioritize something more than God then it means we Love that “something” more than God and it is IDOLATRY. The literal meaning of Idolatry is extreme admiration, love, or reverence for something or someone. Idolatry shifts our focus from God to other worldly things. Everything that takes up place in our heart more than our God is our Idol. Every impure and evil desire in our heart is also Idolatry.

Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity”.

Ezekiel 14:3

Idolatry will let us to trip over into SIN because moving our focus away from God will make us fall into SIN. Nevertheless, Idolatry itself is SIN. It is being unfaithful to Him. It is same as cheating on your partner with some one else. Idolatry in heart is similar to sexual immorality done in the body. As how sexual immorality defiles ones body, IDOLATRY DEFILES your HEART.

We should do a self check as to what is our Idol. It might be our studies, our friendship, our family, our smartphones, our games, our social media accounts, our endeavors, our obsessions or anything else that takes away our focus from God and takes the place of God in our heart!!!

Clue 4: Mend the broken relationship

Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry

1 Corinthians 10:14

Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry

Colossians 3:5

We should flee from Idolatry and all evil that tries to get into our heart. Put to death all wickedness and evil desires in your heart. Fill you heart completely with Love for God and do not let unwanted garbage to creep in!!!

Communication is key to any relationship. Find time to communicate with God. Talk to God daily and spend time with HIM in PRAYER. Get to know HIM better by reading the scriptures. Worship Him and give him the honor that is due to HIM. Ask the guidance of Holy Spirit in everything and in due time your relationship status will change to “SERIOUSLY COMMITTED”.

Treasures uncovered

We are in a RELATIONSHIP with God that is VERY SPECIAL.

For Him, we are very precious and are His priced possession.

In this relationship with us, God’s status is “Seriously Committed.” HE becomes the “WHO” we are in need of, at any given point of time.

Our commitment is to put God first and to Love Him with all our Heart, Soul and Mind.

Find your idols (everything that takes up space in our heart more than God) and put them to death. Flee from Idolatry. Fill your heart with the Love for God and change your relationship status to “Seriously Committed“.

When our relationship with God is in order then every other relationship will be in place and balanced.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for teaching us about the commitment required in the relationship with you. Holy Spirit, help us to find our idols and put them to death. Help us to flee from Idolatry. Help us to be seriously committed in our relationship with You and fill our hearts with Love for you. Lord Jesus, we thank you for loving us unconditionally. In Jesus name, Amen!

Posted in Ages 11 & above, God & Me

Am I likeable?

Posted on by christianliving4young

In every areas of our life, we have likes and dislikes that are unique to us. There are things that are very dear to us – maybe our phones, tabs, cloths, shoes, etc., and others that we do not even know exists in our homes and lives because it is not of importance to us. Similarly, there are memories that we like which brings a smile on our face and those that hurt so bad that we don’t like to remember them at all. There are also places that we like and dislike. It is the same when it comes to people who are part of our lives. There are people in our lives that we are very fond of and we love so much that we long to spend time with them. Also there is the other category whom we would never want to come across.

It is actually the character and behavioral traits of people that make us like them or dislike them. We love people who are loving, caring, encouraging, cheerful and who will be with us during tough times. And we dislike people who are arrogant, rude, selfish and full of disrespect. What about God? Does he have such likes and dislikes of character / behavioral traits?

Let us open the treasure book and find Clues !

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Clue1: . Does God have likes and dislikes of character / behavioral traits?

The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord , But the prayer of the upright is His delight. The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord , But He loves him who follows righteousness.‭

Proverbs 15:8‭-‬9

The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord , But the words of the pure are pleasant.

Proverbs 15: ‬26

It is very evident from these verses that God too has LIKES and DISLIKES. Here it says that He delights in the prayer of upright but hates the sacrifices done by wicked. He loves the one who follows righteousness and hates the ways of the wicked. He hates the thoughts of the wicked but likes the words from those who are pure at heart. So God likes righteousness and dislikes wickedness. We, as His children should be well aware of His likes and dislikes.

Which category do we fall into – Are we likeable? Or not?

Clue 2: Behavioral traits / Character that God dislikes

These six things the LORD hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:

A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren.

Proverbs 6:16-19

These verses clearly states various dislikes of God. God hates a proud look. And we learned (Have an attitude?) a proud heart also disgusts him. He hates hands that shed innocent blood and a heart that is wicked. He hates evil and those who are swift in running to Evil. False witnessing and creating disagreements / disputes among one another also detests Him. All these can be summarized to Wickedness and Evil ways.

We should be very careful about these characteristics and behavioral traits and make sure we do not embrace them but detest them like God. We too should hate evil and wicked ways and never let them into our hearts.

Clue 3: What does God expects from us?

 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 4: 22-24

We have to put away our former conduct – our sinful ways before getting to know Jesus which was filled with wickedness and evil. Then renew our spirits and put on the new man created according to God in righteousness and holiness. Further in Ephesians 4:25-29, we are asked to put away lying and speak only the truth, not to sin in anger, not to steal but to labor and work, not to speak corrupt words but speak only words that build each other.

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted,  forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Ephesians 4: 30-32

In fact, all these wickedness and evil ways grieves the Holy Spirit. Bitterness, wrath, anger, yelling, evil speaking and the desire to harm others should never be allowed in our lives. If God dislikes them , we should too!! Rather, we should be kind to one another, be tender hearted and should forgive one another as God forgave us in Christ.

Treasures uncovered

God has Likes and Dislikes

God likes Righteousness, so should we.

God hates Wickedness and Evil ways, so should we.

We should put away our former conduct (wickedness & evil) and put on the new man created according to God. Be likeable – Hate wickedness and evil ways but love righteousness and embrace it!

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for teaching us about your likes and dislikes. Father help us to hate evil and wicked ways and never let them in our hearts. Help us to put on the new self, created according to you in righteousness and live a life pleasing to you. In Jesus name, Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, God & Me

The Fear of the Lord

Posted on by christianliving4young

We all have heard the phrase “The Fear of the Lord”. Does this mean the Lord is too scary and so we should be very afraid of Him? Or does it mean we should stay frightened before Him? Normally when we are frightened of someone, we try to hide from them and avoid them completely. We also cannot love such a person as the “fear factor” towards them overpowers everything else.

But, 1 John 4:8 says GOD is LOVE. He is the purest, truest and perfect form of love. 1 John 4:18 says, there is NO FEAR in LOVE but perfect love casts out fear. Also, 1 John 1:5 says GOD is LIGHT and in Him is NO DARKNESS at all. Darkness is very scary but Light is never scary. In fact Light drives away Fear. Furthermore, the word of God teaches us to Love the Lord with all our heart, all our mind, all our strength and all our soul (Give it all). We also learned that the Lord is the Best bestie we can ever have (Besties for life). If God is all of these, it is quite evident that He is not scary.

So “The Fear of the Lord” doesn’t mean to be too scared or frightened of Him. Then what does it mean?

Let us open the treasure book and find clues as always.

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Clue 1: What is “The Fear of the Lord”?

The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way, And the perverse mouth I hate.

Proverbs 8:13

King Solomon is the wisest of all times. He has explained in simple words the meaning of “the fear of the Lord”. The Fear of the Lord means to “HATE EVIL and EVERY EVIL WAY”. Pride, arrogance and perverse mouth are all evil and we should hate these evil ways. We already learned about the consequences of perverse mouth (Speaking right), pride & arrogance (Have an attitude?).

So “the fear of the Lord” is not to be frightened of God but to Hate evil and all evil ways with your whole heart.

Clue 2: Why “Fear of the Lord / Fear God”?

We should fear God because it is Godly wisdom.

And to man He said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding.

Job 28:28

Here, the word of God says that the Fear of the Lord is wisdom. Also Proverbs 9:10 says “The fear of the Lord is beginning of Wisdom. So “to hate evil and all evil ways” is wisdom and departing from all evil is Understanding.

We should fear God because this is what is expected of us.

Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.

Ecclesiastes 12:13

We should fear God and keep all his commandments. That is, we should hate evil & hate all evil ways and keep all God’s commandments. This is all what God expects from us. So, we should fear God because God expects us to do so.

We should fear God because Blessed is every one who fears the LORD and there are countless blessings that follow a person who Fears the Lord.

The fear of the LORD leads to life, And he who has it will abide in satisfaction; He will not be visited with evil.

Proverbs 19:23

Who is the man that fears the LORD? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses. He himself shall dwell in prosperity, And his descendants shall inherit the earth. The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant.

Psalms 25:12-14

And His mercy is on those who fear Him. From generation to generation.

Luke 1:50

A person who fears the Lord will embrace life and will be very satisfied with it. God will guide his ways, give him council and teach him. He will prosper in all his ways. His generations will be blessed. The Lord shares His secrets with those who fear Him. His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation. Father Abraham is a great example and in him all the nations of the earth is blessed.

We should fear God because it keeps us from sinning

If there is no Fear of the Lord, meaning if we do not hate evil – then we are for it. Evil is darkness and Fear is a baggage attached with it. Evil causes us to Sin which in turn causes us to to be scared of God and also causes us to hide from Him. We see that from the life of Adam and Eve. When they sinned against God, they were too scared to stand before Him so they hid from His presence. It is like a robber or a thief who tries to hide from police officers because they know that they have done wrong and if caught will be punished. But, if we do not do any wrong, then we are under their protection and security. We will have the confidence in approaching them and do not have to hide away from them or be scared of them. Similarly, if we depart from Evil and hate Evil ways then we keep ourselves from sinning against God and so we do not have to be scared of Him or hide away from Him but is under His divine protection.

When we hate something with our whole heart, we do not even dare to look that way. Even when evil knocks at our door, we will not let it in as we hate it with all of our heart. So fear of the Lord keeps us from sinning and hiding from God.

How to get out from clutches of Sin?

If you are under the clutches of SIN and is struggling, there is Good News for you my friend!!!

Jesus died for YOUR SINS and took YOUR punishment. You only need to REPENT, believe in Jesus and invite Him into your heart to be your Lord & Savior. He will cleanse you and will bring you to right standing with God so that you can approach His throne of Grace with confidence and do not have to HIDE away or be scared to stand in His Presence!!!

Hate Evil and all Evil ways – Fear God and walk with Him

Treasures uncovered

The Fear of the Lord means to “HATE EVIL and EVERY EVIL WAY”

We should fear God because

  • It is Godly Wisdom and departing from Evil is Understanding.
  • This is Man’s ALL and what is expected of us.
  • There are countless blessings that follow a person who Fears the Lord.
  • Evil and evil ways leads us to sin against God

God loves us unconditionally and He himself is Perfect Love. He gave his only son Jesus to die on the cross as a punishment for our sins. Believe in Jesus and turn away from all sinful ways. Fear the Lord – Hate evil and all evil ways with your whole heart.

Prayer:

Father, help us to Hate Evil and all Evil ways. Help us to turn away from everything that displeases you. Thank you for your unconditional love. Thank you Jesus for taking our punishment on the cross so that we can approach the father with confidence. We love you Lord Jesus, in Jesus name Amen!

Posted in Ages 11 & above, God & Me

Heart fitness

Posted on by christianliving4young

Heart is a major internal organ of the human body. The main function of the heart is to pump blood to retain life in the body. If heart stops beating or stops pumping, death occurs. So if we desire to live long, we should make sure our heart is in good condition. By regular exercise and eating healthy food we can keep our heart and body fit. We all know this physical aspect of heart fitness.

What about spiritual? Is heart fitness important spiritually? In fact spiritual heart fitness is more important than physical, as our entire eternity depends on it.

Let us open our treasure book to find clues on spiritual heart fitness.

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Why is heart fitness important spiritually?

Clue 1: For God our heart and its contents matter

I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.

Jeremiah 17: 10

For God, our HEART matters the most. He searches our heart to see it’s content. Also 1 Samuel 16:7 confirms that the Lord doesn’t look at outward appearance but He accepts people based on their heart’s content. To be acceptable in the sight of God, our heart should be fit – kept clean and good. You can read more about this on What does God notice in me?.

Because the heart matters the most to God, it also plays an important role in the plan of salvation He has for human kind.

For our spirit to be saved or redeemed from eternal doom, first action from our side is to repent. To repent is to turn our mind away from sins and to take a U-Turn from our sinful ways. Then we accept Jesus as our Lord and savior.

If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Romans10:9-10

For accepting Jesus as our Lord and savior, we have to first BELIEVE in our HEART that God raised Him from dead and then confess with our mouth. First heart should believe and then out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth will confess / speak. Jesus is the only way to get to eternal life. If your heart is full of unbelief and not fit to believe in Jesus as your savior, then your eternity is at risk! Believe in Christ, be saved and secure your eternity!!!

In the process of getting saved, we do not see transformation right away in any person because it happens at the HEART – the inside. The transformation slowly surfaces on the outside. Changes will soon be seen in one’s character.

Is heart and character of a person connected?

Clue 2: Our heart determines our Character

As in water face reflects face, So a man’s heart reveals the man.

Proverbs 27:19

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Luke 6:45

As a mirror reflects our looks, a man’s heart reveals his character. If our heart is filled with goodness then we bring forth good actions whereas if our heart is filled with evil then we bring forth evil actions. Also the mouth speaks out of the abundance of our heart. So our heart reflects who we really are. If we keep our heart fit – clean, good and noble, then we keep our character in check, pleasing to God.

Clue3: The Parable of the sower Luke 8 : 4-15

Click the video to read the bible portion – Luke 8: 4-8, 11-15

Here Jesus portrays the Word of God as a seed and our heart as the soil where it is sown. As we all know, only if the soil is good, the seed can spring into life, sprout, grow and eventually produce fruit. If our heart is not fit – noble and good, then the word of God that we hear does not spring into life in our heart, but will be snatched by the devil. The devil will use his weapons like doubt, disbelief, hopelessness, fear, despair etc. to snatch the seed away. As we established before, if heart is not in good condition, even salvation is at stake because without believing in the heart, a person cannot be saved. If the heart is too consumed by the issues of life, riches and pleasures, then also the word will not have any option to grow or produce fruit. Only a noble and good heart will yield fruit.

For word of God to bear fruit in our lives we should have a heart that is fit – a good soil to nurture the seed and help it grow.

How to keep our heart fit?

Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.

Proverbs 4:23

Physically, to have a fit and healthy heart, we have to eat the right food, do regular exercise and do health check-ups occasionally. Spiritually too, we have to do the same.

Right Food: To have a heart that is fit spiritually, we should feed it with the right food. Always be diligent and be on guard as to what goes inside your heart. The junk food for heart is pride, selfishness, arrogance, jealousy, hatred, unbelief, unforgiveness, fear and the like. These are all weapons of the devil that he uses to attack our minds. Reject it and do not let it enter your hearts. If we fill our hearts with these negative and unwanted thoughts, we end up having a spiritually unhealthy heart that leads to an unfruitful life. God will not be able to use us for his kingdom in this case. Feed your heart with only good and noble contents – love, peace, humility, joy, compassion, faith etc. Reject all negative content that tries to sneak in.

Regular Exercise: Fill your heart with God’s word and His commandments. Read the word of God regularly and Write them on the tablets of your heart. When we fill our hearts with God’s living word and keep practicing it, then our heart will become spiritually fit as in how exercise contributes to the physical fitness of heart.

Occasional check-up: Our actions and our words reveals our heart, so we can validate the heart based on our words and actions. Occasionally scan your actions, your speech and your thoughts to see if anything unwanted has crept inside your heart.

Treasures uncovered

Spiritual heart fitness is very important because

  • Our eternal life depends on it.
  • For God, our heart and it’s contents matters.
  • Our heart determines our character
  • Word of God cannot produce any fruit if heart is not fit.

To have a fit heart spiritually

  • Feed Heart with good food – noble thoughts, love, peace, joy, compassion, humility, etc. Reject all the junk – pride, selfishness, arrogance, jealousy, hatred, unbelief, unforgiveness, etc.
  • Exercise regularly by reading the word of God and writing them on the tablets of your heart.
  • Do occasional check-up by reviewing our actions, speech and thoughts.

An unhealthy heart (heart that is filled with pride, jealousy, arrogance hatred etc.) REPELS God. It is completely under our scope to decide what to feed our heart. Our actions, our life and our eternity depends on what we fill our heart with. Fill your heart with the living word of God so as to be fit spiritually to bear fruit for the kingdom of God and to be useful for God.

Prayer:

Father, thank you for teaching us that our heart and it’s contents matters a lot to you. As the psalmist says “Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me”. Help us to always be diligent about what we allow into our hearts. Help us to have a heart that is spiritually fit. Help us to fill our hearts with your living word and be useful for your kingdom. In Jesus name Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, God & Me

You Ain’t Alone!

Posted on by christianliving4young

In life, we go through different moments and situations that bring about various emotions in us. Happiness, sadness, anxiousness, worries, fear, pain, excitement, etc., are all outcome of these moments and situations that we go through. Even though we have our family and friends to support us, mostly we face LIFE on our own – for e.g., writing an exam, times of sickness and pain, facing an interview, peer pressure, etc. Our friends and family might know the situation we are in, but they do not EXPERIENCE it as we do. A simple example is that when we feel pain in any part of our body, we can only explain to others what kind of pain it is, but they do not experience it as we do. We might feel frustrated and lonely when the issues of life overwhelms us. We might then wonder – “who will be by my side during this time? None will understand my situations. I am indeed very lonely!!!” Are you really lonely?

Let us open the treasure book and find clues

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Clue 1: Are you really lonely?

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there. If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me.

Psalm 139: 7-10

The presence of God is everywhere around us. The skies, the sea or the darkness cannot hide us from His presence. Wherever we go He is present there. We cannot hide from His presence no matter how we try or what we try. He is an omnipresent God who is around us wherever we go. He will lead us and guide us.

Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

1 Corinthians 3:16

When we believe in Jesus and invite Him to our heart to be our Lord and Savior, the spirit of God – the Holy Spirit, comes and lives inside us. We are His temple and He dwells in us. Since He lives inside us, He knows exactly what we are going through. He knows what our body is going though – sicknesses, pain, etc. and also what our mind is going through – anxieties, worries, fears, etc. Living inside us, He not only knows our situations but also EXPERIENCES everything AS WE DO.

When we are overwhelmed with our negative feelings, the enemy takes advantage. He blinds our minds and injects the thought that we are lonely… This is just another lie of the devil. Moreover, it is a weapon that he uses to push us into sinful living. When we have GOD everywhere around us and within us how can we say we are lonely? We are NEVER LONELY. Our God NEVER ABANDONS us! He loves us and He cares for us!!!

Clue 2: Will these situations stop us from reaching our destiny?

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.

Isaiah 43: 2

Uncertainty is a major aspect of our life. It mostly brings unexpected and unpleasant situations when we are least equipped / prepared to handle it. But our God knows what is ahead of us and what we have to face. He understands all our problems, our thoughts, our fears, our worries and all contents of our heart. He knows our exact situations at any given point of time and experiences it like us. He PROMISES to be with us all throughout and will make sure our situations will never overpower us. He always keeps His promises. He has the best solutions for all our situations. So when you are going through uncertain times, Be confident and Do Not Fear, but submit yourselves to God and Trust in Him to take you forward. Remember you aren’t alone, God is with you and in you and he will walk you through. With God by our side, we will reach our destiny no matter what situations life brings us. Nothing can stop us when God is with us and in us. The only person who can stop you from reaching your destiny is “yourself” and that happens when you give in to the lies of the enemy!

Clue 3: Example of Elijah ( 1Kings 17-22)

We all know Elijah as a great prophet of God. He too had his share of tough times and fearful times and times of loneliness. When King Ahab ruled Israel, he and his wife Jezebel did evil in the eyes of God. He worshipped Baal and did more to provoke the Lord to anger more than all the kings of Israel who were before him. As instructed by God, Elijah went and asked King Ahab to gather all Israel at Mount Carmel along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Ashereh. The prophets of Baal and Ashereh built an altar, sacrificed a bull and kept it on the altar waiting for fire to come down and burn the sacrifice. It did not happen. But Elijah built the altar, kept the sacrifice and called on the name of the living God. Fire from heaven came down and burnt the sacrifice. So people of Israel worshipped the Living God. Elijah turned against the false prophets and executed them. Jezebel, the king’s wife, got very angry and swore to kill Elijah before the next day. Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. Even though God was with him and did many miracles through him including the recent burning up of sacrifice, Elijah became afraid and ran for his life. He prayed to God to take HIS LIFE as he felt very lonely in this race against the king and his wife. But the Lord was with him even when he was alone in the wilderness and strengthened him for the journey that was ahead of him. Elijah became victorious and fulfilled his destiny.

Remember, you aren’t alone, God is walking with you and living in you knowing your exact situations & feelings and experiencing it like you do. Our God will never abandon us, leave us nor forsake us – He is with us always, knowing everything we are going through and will guide us and help us. We saw that in the life of Elijah. Our God is a promise keeper. He is true to His word.

Treasures uncovered

We are Never ALONE!!!

Our God is omnipresent – He is present everywhere around us, He is with us all the time and He lives inside of us

He knows all our situations and feelings and experiences them as we do

He is a promise keeper and will never abandon us, leave us nor forsake us but leads us and guides us in the walk of life.

Cheer up!!! Do not be afraid! We are never ALONE!!! Do not give in to the lies of devil. Our God is with us even when we are in the darkest of darkest times.

Prayer:

Father we thank you for being with us always. Thank you for living inside of me and experiencing everything like I do. Thank you for understanding me thoroughly and guiding me in everything. Thank you for never letting me be alone. Love you, in Jesus Name Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, God & Me

He follows you, Do you?

Posted on by christianliving4young

In this present age, social media plays a vital role in our lives. We spent hours and hours on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, Twitter, etc., gazing on what other people are up to. We follow many people on the social media who inspire us. When we follow such people, we get to know what they eat, what they wear, where they go, who their friends are and pretty much everything else about them. We also try to imitate what they do – let it be fashion, DIYs, fitness, cooking or baking, trying out new eat-outs, and whatnot. All these people who have millions of followers doesn’t know the people who follow them. They might get to know a few, but definitely NOT ALL.

Today shall we read about a person who has millions and millions of followers all around the world, and He knows everyone of them so very well!!! Are you ready to meet Him today???

Which media platform do we find Him? Well… this platform is called “The Holy Bible”. Here we call it the treasure book. Let us open the treasure book and meet this wonderful person.

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Clue 1: Who is this and how far does He know me?

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 

John 1:1-4

For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.

Psalms 139:13

In the beginning, He was with God during the process of creation and nothing was made without Him. All things were made through Him and for Him. He is the image of God. He is the word of God who became flesh to dwell among people. HE IS JESUS CHRIST THE SON OF GOD WHO DIED FOR OUR SINS.

He created us and covered us in our mother’s womb!!! Everyone else in this world including our parents get to know us only after we are born into this world, but He knew us before we were placed in our mother’s womb!!!

JESUS knew us wayyyy….. BEFORE our family and friends.

O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether

Psalms 139: 1-4

He knows everything about us!!! Everything really means E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. He knows when we sit down and when we rise up. He understands every thought of ours and its intents. He follows all our paths. He is familiar with ALL our WAYS. He knows all our characteristics and our behavioral traits. There is not a word on our tongue that He doesn’t know before it comes out of our mouth!!! He knows all our actions too, even if we hide it from everyone else. He even knows our future.

JESUS knows us wayyyy….. DEEPER than everyone else in this world.

Clue 2: Does He really care for me?

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:6-8

We all like to be with good people who encourages us and cares for us. People normally wouldn’t die for friends or family, but there are rare cases where people sacrificed their lives for their loved ones. But have you ever heard of anyone sacrificing their lives for a bad person? Never!!! But Jesus loves us so much that He chose to die for us while we were still sinners and bad… His LOVE for us is more than what we could ever imagine.

JESUS loves us wayyyy….. MORE than everyone else.

Jesus knew us before we were born into this world, He knows us deeper than everyone else in this world. He follows us and loves us so much that He took our punishment and gave His life for us. He even knows what future holds for us.

Wouldn’t it be great to follow such a person and be inspired by HIM?

Clue 3: How to follow Him and get to know Him better?

To be a follower of Christ and be saved – we should repent of our sins, confess Him with our mouth and believe that “Jesus is Son of God. He died for our sins and rose on the third day”. Whoever confesses Jesus as the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

To know him better – Same like how we browse through the pages / profiles of people that we follow on social media to get to know them better, “The Bible” is our platform where we get to know more about Jesus and His personality. We might think, “this book is written many years back and is everything written about Jesus still valid?”. Yes it is – Hebrews 13:8 says “Jesus Christ is the same Yesterday, Today and Forever” So everything written about Him in the Bible is still valid and up-to-date and true even for the ages to come!!! Read the bible and get to know him better!!!

Treasures uncovered

JESUS knew us before our birth and knows everything about us. He loves us very much that He gave His life for us while we were still sinners.

Follow JESUS CHRIST on the platform “The Bible”, and be inspired by him.

Jesus loves us and follows us. He knows EVERYTHING about each one of His followers and cares for them. Moreover, by following Him we will receive everlasting life. This makes Him different from others who have millions of followers. FOLLOW JESUS for LIFE EVERLASTING…

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for being so wonderful.. Jesus we love you and we thank you for following us everywhere and caring for us. Thank you for giving yourself for our sake. Help us to follow you and be your imitators. In Jesus name, Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, God & Me

The Armor of GOD

Posted on by christianliving4young

Have you seen a soldier who is ready for battle? Maybe not real time but definitely in movies right? They will be dressed in a special outfit – a uniform with a belt on their waist, helmet on their head, a bulletproof shield held in their hand, a bullet proof vest, shoes or boots on their feet and weapons like gun to fight. Back in the olden days too, soldiers who went for battle wore a special outfit. It is called the “Armor” and had almost similar components as a modern day battle outfit.

An Armor consists of a belt, a breastplate, a helmet, a pair of shoes, a shield and weapons – mainly a sword. Why do soldiers wear this special outfit – the armor, for battle? Battle is not a time of leisure. A soldier would be completely focused on fighting putting his life at stake. There are big chances that the weapon of the enemy could injure his body and major internal organs. So the armor is worn to shield / protect their body from the weapons of enemy. All components of the armor except weapon are for shielding and protecting while weapon is the only component used to fight back.

The bible also talks about an armor – The Armor of God. What is this all about? Let us open the treasure book to learn more about it.

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Ephesians 6:10-17 – click this video to read this bible portion

Clue 1: Ephesians 6:10-13

The Battle

The Word of God says, we have to put on the complete armor of God. We now know that an armor is worn only during battles. So this means we are in a battle. So we should be wearing an armor to protect ourselves from being hurt. Being in a battle means there is an enemy to fight.

Our enemy

The word of God says “put on the whole armor of God to stand against the tricks of the devil”. Also it is written, our fight is not against flesh and blood – meaning other humans. So the enemy in this battle are not people but the devil and dark evil powers – domains, powers and rulers of darkness. The devil and his gang of evil spirits are our enemy and we know they are not in flesh but spirit. So the battle is not physical but in the spiritual realm.

The battleground

But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

2 Corinthians 11:3

In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

2 Corinthians 4:4

Both these verses states that the devil tries to corrupt and blind our minds from the actual truth. So our enemy – the serpent / the god of this world / the devil tries to manipulate our minds. That is where he tries to play his tricks. So our mind is the battlefield!!

Now we know that we are in a battle, we know where the battle takes place and who our enemy is!!!

So how do we get prepared for the battle and fight our enemy?

Clue 2: Ephesians 6:14-17

Like in a physical battle where soldiers wear the armor to protect themselves from the weapons of the enemy, in this spiritual battle against the devil, we too should wear an armor –The Armor of God, to protect ourselves from his weapons!

The armor of God also consists of shielding components – Belt, Breastplate, Shoes, Shield, Helmet and a weapon to fight – the Sword

The Belt of Truth

We normally use a belt to gird our loose pants tight onto our waist so that we can walk confidently without being afraid that our pants would come down. Imagine yourself in a battle and your belt isn’t proper. Would you be able to focus completely on the battle or will you be partly bothered about the pants coming down? Definitely the pants will bother you and this could take your life!!! In the armor of God, our belt is “TRUTH”. We should always speak the truth and be truthful to God, ourselves and others. If we are truthful in everything then we can walk confidently and we will be able to rightly focus on our battle without giving the devil a loophole to pull us down!!

Breastplate of righteousness

A breastplate is worn to guard the chest area, specially the heart. In the armor of God, our breastplate is “RIGHTEOUSNESS“. Righteousness means “right standing with GOD” or being right with God. Sin separates us from God but we are made righteous through faith in Jesus Christ. When we believe in Jesus, his blood makes us right before God. This is our breast plate that will guard our heart from the weapons of the enemy.

The shoes of gospel of peace

We wear shoes to protect our feet from sharp and hard objects that lie in our path. In the armor of God, “PEACE” is the shoes that we should wear to guard our walk. Always walk in peace and be peacemakers. Let the peace of God rule our hearts and minds. Worry is one object that the devil places in our path to hurt our feet, but if the peace of God rules our mind, it guards us from getting hurt.

Shield of faith

A shield protects us from the flaming arrows and other weapons of the enemy. In the armor of God, our shield is “FAITH”. When the enemy sends flaming arrows to attack our mind, we should use faith to shield our mind. The enemy might send arrows of disbelief, doubt, despair, depression, fear, loneliness, un-forgiveness, lust, etc., and we should shield it from entering our minds and hearts by proclaiming our faith.

Helmet of salvation

A Helmet is used to guard our head in battle. If head is not protected, we will definitely lose our life in the battle!!! In the armor of God “SALVATION” is our helmet. Salvation protects our head. Without salvation you will lose your life – the eternal life. If you have not known Jesus as your savior, invite him to your heart today. To be saved, confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead. Put on the helmet of salvation and secure your eternal life!!!

Sword  – The Word of God

In the Armor, the weapon to fight is the sword and in the armor of God, the sword is WORD OF GOD.

We know that our mind is the battle ground and this is where the enemy attacks. The enemy sends his flaming arrows of all kinds of negativity to our mind. When we use our shield (Faith) we protect our mind from these arrows. It will definitely protect us from getting injured, but it doesn’t stop the enemy from fighting us. As we see in all fights, an enemy will stop fighting only if we get stronger and he gets weaker. How does that happen? We should fight back then he will slowly lose his strength. We fight back with our weapon, the WORD OF GOD… Fight all negative thoughts the devil is trying to plant in our hearts, with the word of God.. Declare the word of God in all areas of his attack and keep on declaring!!! The word of God says that the enemy will eventually flee – Resist the devil and he will flee from you!!!

In Luke chapter 4 we see, Jesus when tempted by the devil fought back with the Word of God and the devil left him. Jesus took victory over the devil by fighting back with Word of God!

Treasures uncovered

We are in a constant battle and hence we should be always alert! The battleground is our mind and the devil is our enemy .

Put on the full ARMOR of GOD –

Protect yourselves from the weapons of the enemy by wearing the Belt of Truth, the Breastplate of Righteousness, the Shoes of Peace, the Shield of Faith and the Helmet of Salvation.

Fight the enemy with Word of God and he will flee from us.

We have to put on the full armor of God to protect ourselves. If any element of protection is missing we can get hurt. So wearing all the components of armor is vital for our existence. Also fight your battle with the Word of God and victory is guaranteed!!!

Prayer:

Father, Thank you for making us aware about the armor of God. Lord Jesus, we thank you for the helmet of salvation that secures our eternal life. We also thank you for making us righteous. Thank you for the Word you have given us to fight the enemy. Thank you for making us victorious, in Jesus name, Amen!!!

Posted in Ages 11 & above, God & Me

No Gain without Pain?

Posted on by christianliving4young

Have you ever gained anything in your life without paying a price for it or without working hard for it?

In the world that we live in, achieving or gaining is not an easy task. There is “No Gain without Pain”. We should definitely go through a process of learning, hard-work, training, trials & errors, failures, struggles, etc, before we reap any kind of benefit. It is not easy even for those who are born with a silver spoon in their mouth. Is there anything at all that we gain without pain?

Let us open the treasure book to find clues.

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Clue 1: Genesis 2, 3

ENTRY of SIN

God created the first humans – ADAM & EVE and placed them in the Garden of Eden to take care of it. God used to come down to the garden and spend time with them. Everything was moving on very well until they disobeyed God by eating the fruit that God asked them not to eat. When God came as usual to spend time with them, they hid from Him as they disobeyed Him. Because of their disobedience, they were put out of the garden and were cursed to work hard for their livelihood… This is where the world changed its course of existence. Everything turned upside down.

Disobedience to God is SIN. Because of this disobedience, human race came under the “Power of Sin”. Death, pain, sorrow, enmity, curse and all other mess entered the world because of sin. More than anything else, humans were separated from their fellowship with God.

But God loves us sooo very much that He did not want us to live separated from Him and be destroyed eternally…

Clue 2: ATONEMENT of SIN

The atonement (action of making amends for a wrong) of sin is only by blood.

For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.

Leviticus 17:11

And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.

Hebrews 9:22

Plan 1: God gave a plan – the atonement of sin by sacrificing animals and offering their blood to God. People had to spend for this sacrifice. But, this did not help them overcome the “power of sin”. They still lived in the clutches of sin.

God loves us sooo much that He did not want us to live in the power of sin and be destroyed eternally….

Plan 2: God sent His only son, Jesus Christ – to die for our sins “once and for all”!!!

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

John 3:16

And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world

1 John 2:2

Sin brings us punishment. God loved us very much that He sent Jesus to take our punishment. Jesus laid down His life for us and His blood was offered as atonement for our sins so that whoever BELIEVES in Him will not perish but will have ETERNAL LIFE. We don’t have to spend anything to be saved, but only believe in Jesus. Jesus freed us from the power of sin and also restored our relationship with God. As Romans 5:19 says “For as by one man’s (Adam) disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s (Jesus) obedience many will be made righteous.” By His blood we are made righteous before God. Without loosing anything or paying any price or struggling, we gained SALVATION!

Treasures uncovered

Our Gain without Pain

SALVATION!!!

IS A FREE GIFT TO ALL THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST

IS FREE, BUT EXPENSIVE. JESUS PAID THE PRICE – HIS OWN LIFE & BLOOD

Salvation is a very expensive gift that God has given freely to those who believe in Jesus Christ. Our part is to accept Jesus as our savior and believe He is the Son of God who died for our sins.

To accept Jesus as your savior you need to confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead. If you have not known Jesus as your savior, invite him to your heart today and live a life free from the power of sin and save yourselves from the eternal punishment – the lake of fire!!!

Prayer:

Thank you father for the free and expensive gift of salvation. Thank you Jesus for laying down your life for our sins and freeing us from the power and punishment of sin. Thank you for loving us so much… Help us to bring our families and our friends to this joy of salvation. We love you Lord, in Jesus name Amen!!