Category: Ages 11 & above

Posted in Ages 11 & above, God & Me

Besties for Life

Posted on by christianliving4young

We all have at least one bestie whom we call our “BFF”. We share all our secrets with them, we hang out, watch movies together, study together, play together, give advices to each other, find solutions to each other’s problems, etc… They understand us better than our family. However, life brings us such dark times that neither our besties nor our family will be able to help us… Whom will we turn to? Is there anyone who can help us in such situations? Who will be by our side during such terrible times? Is there anyone who cares for us more than our friends and family?

Let us open the treasure book and find some clues!!!

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Clue 1 – Isaiah 49:15, Psalms 27:10

Can a woman forget her nursing child,
And not have compassion on the son of her womb?
Surely they may forget, Yet I will not forget you.

Isaiah 49:15

When my father and my mother forsake me,
Then the Lord will take care of me.

Psalms 27:10

A mother who nursed her child can never forget the child, but even if it so happens that she forgets her child, the Lord will NEVER FORGET US!!! Parents loves us the most – more than anyone else in this world. They are very much concerned about our well-being and they sacrifice a lot for our sake… They would never want to abandon us. But if such a situation arises when “Our Own” abandons us, where will we turn to? The Lord, for he will take care of us. He will be by our side always… He will never leave us nor forsake us… He loves us unconditionally – more than even our parents!!! We cannot see such perfect love anywhere else.

Clue 2 – Luke 8:26-39, Mark 5:1-20

Jesus with his disciples went to a place called Gadarenes where he met a man who was possessed with demons. This man was not in his right mind and behaved crazy. He did not wear cloths and he lived in tombs. His family and friends disowned him as he was a nuisance and burden to them. They bound him in chains and shackles. But he broke loose of the bondage and wandered in the wilderness. Night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones. The demons tortured him and no one could tame him or help him. He was in a very pathetic condition when Jesus met him. Jesus, the Son of God, has authority over the demons. When He saw this man, He had compassion on him and set him FREE from the captivity and torture of the demons. The man came back to his right mind and behavior. Jesus stayed by his side and helped him out from his terrible condition when everyone else remained helpless.

No matter how terrible our situation or condition is, Jesus is able to help us and bring us out of it.

Clue 3 – Isaiah 41:10

Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

Isaiah 41:10

This is a promise that God has given us. We need not fear because the all-powerful, all-knowledgeable and sovereign God is WITH US. HE is by our side always… We need not be discouraged at all because HE is our GOD. God will strengthen us, help us and uphold us.

It will be so good to have such person as our best friend, who is with us always, who encourages us, who takes care of us and strengthens us…

Treasures uncovered

What do we look for in a bestie?

A bestie should be honest, faithful, trustworthy, non-judgmental, encouraging, loving and caring. Also they should stand by us during times of failures and help us in our need.

GOD is the perfect Bestie we can ever have.

God is Honest and trustworthy. He always keeps his word and promises.

He is faithful. Even if the parents who gave birth to us disowns us, He will not leave us or abandon us, but will be by our side always and takes care of us.

He loves us unconditionally… While we were still sinners, He laid down his life for us to save us from the eternal fire.

He is not judgmental. He knows everything concerning us and accepts us as we are.

He is an ever present help during times of trouble.

He encourages us, strengthens us and upholds us.

What more do we need in a bestie? So get closer to Him… Seek Him and you will find Him. Make Him your bestie…

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for teaching us that you are the perfect bestie that we can ever find. Thank you for being a great friend to us and for taking care of us. Thank you for always standing by our side and loving us unconditionally. We love you, in Jesus name Amen!

Posted in Ages 11 & above, God & Me

Give it ALL

Posted on by christianliving4young

There are certain special people in our life whom we try to impress. We put on our very best behavior while with them. We sooo want to get in their good books and friend circle that we make sure everything that we do and say is right when we are with them. We also do the best we can to care for them and make them happy!!!

How then should we be with the Lord our God? Let us open the treasure book and find clues…

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Clue 1 – Matthew 22:37-38

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

When it comes to God, we should LOVE him with ALL our HEART, ALL our SOUL and ALL our mind. In Luke 10:27 in addition to these it is also written “with ALL our STRENGTH”. This is a commandment – an order and not a suggestion. This is also the first and great commandment.

Heart, Soul and Mind makes up our personality – our behavior, our thoughts and our emotions defines who we are. Our strength represents our physique or our body… So when we love God we should LOVE him with ALL that we are – ALL of our HEART should love him, ALL of our SOUL should love him, ALL of our MIND should love him and with ALL of our STRENGTH / MIGHT we should love him. Our love towards him should not be half-done or incomplete, but COMPLETE with the involvement of our entire being. When all of our being is committed in loving him then nothing else will take the place of God in our lives!!!

Commit yourself completely in LOVING GOD!!!! With all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength!!

Clue 2 – Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6

When we trust the Lord, we should do it with ALL our HEART. When all our heart is involved in trusting him, doubt or disbelief has no place… The trust will be complete… Give in all your Heart in trusting God.

When we acknowledge him, we should do it in ALL our ways!! We should not do it only for a certain period of time or only for certain ways / paths that we take… Acknowledging should also be complete – in ALL our ways!!!

Clue 3 – Jeremiah 29:13

And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:13

The word of God says that if we seek him we will find him, provided we seek him with ALL our heart. “ALL” again indicate completeness. We should commit our complete heart in seeking HIM… We have to give our undivided attention and commitment in seeking him.

Treasures uncovered

When it comes to God,

We have to GIVE IT ALL!!

Our COMPLETE SELF (all that we are) in LOVING HIM

Our COMPLETE HEART in TRUSTING HIM

Our COMPLETE WAYS / PATHS in ACKNOWLEDGING HIM

Our COMPLETE ATTENTION & COMMITMENT in SEEKING HIM.

For God, how our “Heart is engaged” matters a lot!!! The complete immersion of our heart is KEY in all matters concerning GOD, whether in loving HIM or trusting HIM or acknowledging HIM or seeking HIM. We have to give him our ALL and not partial or incomplete or fractional involvement. When we give our ALL, GOD becomes primary in our life and everything else fades before us and loses its value. So Give HIM your ALL!!!

Prayer:

Father we thank you for teaching us that our heart’s engagement really matters to you and in all things concerning you, we have to give our undivided and complete attention. Help us to fill our heart completely with you. Help us to love you with all that we are, acknowledge you in all our ways, trust you and seek you with all our heart. Help us to be committed to you all throughout our lives.. We love you Lord, in Jesus name… Amen!!!

Posted in Ages 11 & above

Obedience

Posted on by christianliving4young

“Obey GOD, Obey your parents and elders” is something we have been taught from a very young age at home, school and church… When young, it is easier to obey. But when we get into our teens, we find it very difficult to obey our elders as we feel they are “outdated” and that we know pretty much everything better than them, so we should be in control of our life… why obey them?

Why are we taught to be obedient from a very young age? Does obedience really matter to GOD? Let us open the treasure book and find clues!!!

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Clue 1: Romans 5:19

Disobedience to GOD

For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.

Romans 5:19

God created Adam & Eve and put them in the garden of Eden to keep it. But then… they disobeyed God. Because of their disobedience sin entered the world. Disobedience to God is SIN. It separates us from God and brings forth punishment. God put them out of the garden and punished them for their disobedience. They lost their peaceful life in the comfort of the garden and were cursed.

Disobedience to GOD brings forth punishment and curse.

What about Obedience?

Clue 2 : Deut 28:2-8, 5:33, 1 Kings 2:3, John 15:14

Obedience to GOD

Deuteronomy 28:2-8 – Click on the video to read this bible portion

Blessings will “OVERTAKE” those who diligently obey God’s voice and His commandments. They will be blessed in the city and in the country they live in. Blessed will be their offspring and every possession. Their food will be blessed. Their steps will be blessed. The Lord will defeat their enemies. Their storehouses will be blessed and also the works of their hand. They will be blessed in the land which God will give them.

You shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess.”

Deuteronomy 5:33 

And keep the charge of the Lord your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn.”

1 Kings 2:3

When we walk in obedience to God’s commands, everything will be well with us, we will have long life and we will prosper in everything we do.

You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 

John 15:14

When we obey God’s commandments, we become his friends. Imagine… having GOD, the maker of heaven and earth as our own FRIEND!!!! Abraham is a perfect example for this. He was called friend of God. Abraham was very obedient in everything that God asked him to do. He left his household and went to the place that God asked him to. He even wholeheartedly went to sacrifice his Son as per Gods command. God was pleased with Abraham and his obedience.

Obedience pleases God and it brings forth blessings, wellbeing, long life, prosperity and friendship with God!!!

Clue 3 : Ephesians 6:1-3

Instruction to Children

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.“Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise:“that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”

Ephesians 6:1-3

The word of God specifically tells Children to obey their parents in the Lord. This is the right thing to do. We also have to honor them and respect them. This is the first commandment with promise – it will be well with us and we will have long life on earth. As long as our parents remain we are to follow this. This is a commandment from GOD!!!

Treasures uncovered

Disobedience to God is Sin and brings forth punishment & Curse

Obedience pleases God and brings forth Blessings that overtake all areas of life. Long life, wellbeing and prosperity is a surety

Obedience changes our relationship status with God, we become “Friends of GOD”

“Obey parents and Honor them” is a commandment from God

Jesus is our perfect example to look up to, on how to live. He was obedient to Father God to the point of death!!! God loved mankind so much that he made a plan to redeem them from the eternal punishment of Sin and their state of separation from God caused by the disobedience in the garden of Eden. He sent his son Jesus for this mission. Jesus obeyed God to the point of death and sacrificed himself for our sins. He took our punishment on the cross and redeemed us by his own blood. Those who believe in him is “SAVED” and has eternal life. He removed the separation caused by sin and restored us to the original state of fellowship with God. By his blood he made us righteous before God. So Jesus’ obedience overturned the consequences caused by Adam’s disobedience.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for teaching us the consequences of obedience and disobedience. Please help us to stay obedient to you and to our parents. Help us to obey your commands and honor our parents. Jesus we thank you for sacrificing yourself for our sins and saving us from the eternal punishment and curse… We love you and bless you, In Jesus name Amen…

Posted in Ages 11 & above

Do you Worry?

Posted on by christianliving4young

We all worry about problems that pop-up in our day-to-day life!!! And even about probable problems that can come our way… Will I be able to complete my assignments on time? What if I score low in tests? Will my friends abandon me if I do this? Will I get sick? etc… etc…

Worry is defined in dictionary as “feel anxious or troubled about actual or potential problems”

Does worrying offer any kind of solution to our problems? Does it help us in any way?

Let us look into the treasure book to get clues

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

CLUE 1:

Matthew 6: 27, Proverbs 12:25, Matthew 6:31-34

Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?”

Matthew 6: 27

Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad.”

Proverbs 12:25

In Matthew 6:7, Jesus is asking “by worrying can any of you change your physique?” He is teaching us that worrying does not alter the situation we are in, nor does it solve any of our problems. It doesn’t help us in anyway nor is of any gain to us. In fact, it affects our mental health negatively, causing depression… WORRYING is NOT GOOD!!!

“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Matthew 6:31-34

Jesus also taught that we should not worry!!! Our father in heaven knows all our needs. By worrying about our needs, we are indirectly saying – “God we don’t trust that you will take care of us”. Our part is to seek the kingdom of God & his righteousness and our needs will be met.

Worrying is never an answer to our actual or probable problems. It doesn’t do us any good. So how should we deal with worrying?

What should we do when anxiousness and worry creep in?

CLUE 2:

1 Peter 5:7, Philippians 4:6-7

Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

We should cast all our cares to our lord because he cares for us. We should not worry about anything at all, but by prayer and supplication we should let Him know all our requests. Tell Him “Father, these are my concerns and my requests. I am giving them in your hands. I know you care for me”. Then he will fill our hearts with peace – the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard our hearts and minds through Jesus. When peace fills our hearts, worry will not have a place anymore in our hearts.

Treasures uncovered

Do not worry about anything!!!

Cast all your cares on GOD for He cares for us.

Through prayer and petitions, give all your requests to God and He will fill our hearts with divine peace.

When we worry, we are saying we do not trust God with our life… Worrying doesn’t do us any good – it doesn’t change our situation or solve our problems but causes mental illness – depression. God doesn’t want us to live in sadness or depression, but happy and joyful because He is a loving father and He cares for us. So we should cast all our cares, insecurities and worries on Him. He will fill our hearts with divine peace that will guard our hearts and minds.. Then there won’t be any more place for any kinds of worries!!! DO NOT WORRY but TRUST GOD WITH YOUR LIFE and LIVE HAPPY!!!

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for teaching us that we should not worry in any circumstance. Help us to cast all our cares on you. We thank you for taking care of all our cares and filling our hearts with your peace. We worship you and we praise your name, in Jesus name Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, God & Me

Effective Prayer

Posted on by christianliving4young

Prayer is talking to GOD and having a personal time of fellowship with Him. If you do not pray daily, well…. now is a good time to start talking to your father in heaven. It is vital for a fruitful and successful Christian life. When we talk to him daily, we build our relationship with him, if not he will always be a stranger to us. When we talk to him, we will also hear from him and will be able to recognize his voice. So let us begin our journey of prayer!!!

How do we pray?

Pray

Let us open the treasure book…

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

CLUE:1 Matthew 6: 6

But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 

Matthew 6: 6

Personal prayer time is not to show others your proficiency / fluency or to get their attention. It should be done in private – a secret time just between you and your father in heaven. This is what Jesus taught his disciples and what he practiced while on earth. He used to step away from the crowds & even his disciples and went to mountains for his personal time with God, spending all night in prayer. So first, move away from the crowds to your secret place to spend time in prayer.

CLUE:2 Philippians 4:6

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God

Philippians 4:6

Begin prayer with thanksgiving. Remember everything God has done for, provided for, taken care of and thank Him for that. Then make your requests known to God.

CLUE:3
1 Samuel 1, Matthew 6: 7-8

There was a man named Elkanah from Ephraim and Hanna was his wife. She did not have any children and this made her very unhappy. Every year they would go as a family to worship and sacrifice to the Lord at Shiloh where Eli and his sons were the priests. One year as they went, Hannah was too sad and wept in pain before the lord and prayed. As she was praying, the priest Eli saw her and watched her. He thought she was drunk and rebuked her. But she told him

I am not drunk, but I am pouring out my soul before the Lord”.

Later on we see that God answered her prayer and a son was born to her, prophet Samuel who judged the people of Israel.

Hanna while praying poured out her soul before God. She was not pretentious or fake, but by pouring out her heart before God, she made her problem known to Him the same way she felt it. Her prayer was answered. So “be yourself” before God and “pour out your heart to him”.

And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore, do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.

Matthew 6: 7-8

Do not use vain repetitions while praying because you are not heard for the repeated words you speak. Your father knows all your needs even before you ask and you don’t have to always repeat them. Do not corrupt the relationship by talking only about your needs. Your needs will be taken care of !!!

CLUE:4
Mark 11:24, John 14:14

Therefore, I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

Mark 11:24

If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

John 14:14

Believing that you receive what you have asked for and asking it in the name of Jesus makes sure the prayer is answered!!!

Treasures uncovered

How to pray effectively

Pray in secret

Begin your prayer with thanksgiving

Be yourself before God and pour out your heart before him – do not be fake or pretentious and do not use vain repetitions

When you ask believe that you receive and ask everything in the name of Jesus

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for teaching us how to pray. Help us to pray daily and have a personal relationship with you. Help us to be thankful and be ourselves before you. Help us to believe that our prayers will be answered, in Jesus name AMEN!!!

Posted in Ages 11 & above, Life Skills

Forgiveness

Posted on by christianliving4young

We have been hurt by people many times in our lives. Few of them would have apologized, while others never bothered… Do we forgive those people who hurt us even if they do not say sorry? Well it is not easy… We might say “yes we have forgiven”, but we should do a self-check and see what we feel when we remember those people who hurt us. If it is anger or hatred or bitterness, then definitely there is unforgiveness. Un-forgiveness in our heart doesn’t do us any good, in fact it affects us very negatively.

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

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Clue 1: Matthew 18: 21-35

Peter, one of the disciples of Jesus asked him, “Lord, how many times should I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Is it seven times?” Jesus answered, “Not seven times, but seventy-seven times”. He did not mean to keep count each time someone sins against you or hurts you, but to keep on forgiving when they hurt you.

Then he told them a parable to teach the kingdom principle regarding Forgiveness. Parables are simple stories used to explain a moral or spiritual lesson.

The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant

Master and servant

A king wanted to settle financial records with his servants. There was a servant who owed him ten thousand bags of gold. (That is too much for a servant to payback. He won’t be able to payback even if he tried all his life.) This servant was brought to the master as he did not pay back and clear his debt. To repay the debt, the king ordered to sell this man, his wife, his children and all he had. The servant fell on his knees before him and begged ‘Be patient with me and I will pay back everything.’ The master took pity on him and let him go, cancelling all the unpaid debt. He would have lost his family and everything he owned. But the king was so merciful that this humongous debt was waved off – he didn’t have to return the 10,000 bags of gold that he borrowed.

When this servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins.  He grabbed the servant and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’ But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.

He did not show this man any mercy. The amount this servant owed was only 100 silver coins which could be repaid. But for this small debt (compared to his own debt – 10,000 bags of gold) the servant did not show any mercy.

When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened. Then the master called the servant in. “You wicked servant, I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me. Shouldn’t you have shown mercy to your fellow servant just as I did to you?” In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

Jesus told them

This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

God forgave our sins and took away from us the horrible punishment we deserve. Hence we should also show mercy and forgive people who have hurt us or have done terribly bad things to us. We should consciously learn to forgive no matter how hard it is, so that we experience God’s mercy and forgiveness in our lives. The hurt that we have faced is like the 100 silver coins compared to the punishment we deserve.

Clue 2: Mark 11: 25-26

And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.

Mark 11: 25-26

Even your prayers won’t be heard if you have an unforgiving heart. Only if we forgive, we will be forgiven.. this is the kingdom principle…

Treasures uncovered

FORGIVE

and you will be

FORGIVEN

Forgiving others is not easy, however without a forgiving heart we won’t experience our father’s forgiveness. Remembering the undeserved mercy and love we have received from our Lord will help us to have a forgiving and loving heart. If we do not forgive, unforgiveness in our heart leads us into bitterness and eventually to hatred, leading us into sin. So Forgive all those who hurt you!!!

Also make sure to ask forgiveness when you realize you have hurt someone. Remember!!! Only a brave person can ask forgiveness and it takes immense courage to say SORRY!!!

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for teaching us the kingdom principle about forgiveness. We thank you for the undeserving love and mercy you have towards us. Help us to forgive from our heart all those who have hurt us. Help us also to ask forgiveness to all people whom we have hurt. We love you Lord, in Jesus name, AMEN!!!

Posted in Ages 11 & above, The Negatives

Temptations!!!

Posted on by christianliving4young

In the world that we live today, many are the TEMPTATIONS around us that are ready to entice us and lead us to destruction. We have fallen into some already.

TEMPTATION is the DESIRE “to DO or HAVE something that YOU KNOW you should NOT DO or HAVE”.

Eve was tempted in the garden of Eden. She was enticed by the devil into eating the fruit that God told them not to eat and thus they SINNED.

Temptation can lead to sin if not dealt correctly. How do we handle temptations without falling into SIN?

Let us open the treasure book

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Clue: Matthew 4:1-11

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 

James 1:13

First thing we should know is that God does not tempt anyone – temptation is not from God. It is from devil.

When Jesus lived on Earth, he too was tempted by the devil, yet he was perfect without sin! How did he overcome the temptations?

SCENE 1

Jesus was in the desert fasting for 40 days & 40 nights. Then he was hungry and needed food – a physical need. The devil went to tempt him knowing his current situation and to take advantage of his physical weakness.

Temptation: “If you are the son of God, tell these stones to become bread”. The devil challenged Jesus to prove HE is the son of GOD by turning stones into bread to satisfy his hunger. The devil was trying to prick his Ego by saying “if you are the son of God” do this.

During times of physical or emotional weakness we might act without thinking and give in to temptations. So devil tries to attack us in our weakness as we have bigger chance of falling into temptations then. Be watchful!

How did Jesus respond?

Jesus knew he do not have to prove anything to the devil. Jesus answered quoting the scriptures

“It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”

Did the devil stop there? NO he did not. Triumphing over one temptation doesn’t mean there won’t be more . Be vigilant always.

SCENE 2

Then the devil took Jesus to the holy city and made him stand on the highest point of temple.

Temptation: “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” The devil was challenging Jesus to prove He is the son of GOD by throwing himself down and landing safely with angels. Throwing oneself down will kill – it is self destruction and is a SIN.

Also, because Jesus replied with scriptures the first time, the devil too used the scripture to put across his point- but unlike Jesus, he misquoted .

But Jesus replied,

It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’

Jesus was not provoked by the devil and replied with apt scriptures. We should be very careful not to fall for misinterpreted scriptures.

SCENE 3

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.

Temptation – “All this I will give you if you will bow down and worship me.” He wanted Jesus to worship him. Worshipping anyone other than God is Sin.

Jesus is the son of God. He replied, 

Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’

Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

Devil waited and approached Jesus in the time of weakness to tempt him. He tempted Jesus in different ways so as to entice him to SIN. Jesus did not fall into any of the temptation put forth by devil. He resisted the devil and fought him with the scriptures and the devil left him.

Treasures uncovered

Temptation is not from God and it can lead us to SIN

The Word of God is our weapon to fight temptation and overcome it.

Jesus handled each of the temptation, by quoting relevant scriptures. Word of God is the best weapon to fight temptation. Hence we need to learn the scriptures very well.

Jesus also knew his worth very well – Son of God. He knew he doesn’t have to prove anything to the devil. So are we – Children of God. We are not puppets in the hand of devil to jump here and there as he say. Resist the devil and he will flee from us.

Prayer:

Father, thank you for teaching us that we should fight our temptation with word of God. Help us to use realize the temptations in our life and fight it with the right scriptures. Thank you, in Jesus’ name Amen!!!!

Posted in Ages 11 & above, The Negatives

Trouble with studies?

Posted on by christianliving4young

Intelligence varies from person to person. Some are very bright in studies whereas some others find it very difficult to get through with their studies. Are you in the latter group that face difficulties with studies? No matter how hard you try, you are unable to understand certain concepts. If you ask for help, once or twice your teachers and friends would help and then they might show their anger on you or scold you for asking the same thing over and over. This makes you feel helpless & incompetent, and maybe a substance of mockery among friends and teachers.

writing

Can we do anything about this situation?

Of course yes, Is there anything too hard for the Lord???

Let us open the treasure book

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

CLUE 1: Daniel 1

Jerusalem was captured by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon.  He gave orders to take some of the young men as captives to Babylon – men who are handsome, healthy and who had an aptitude to learn. He wanted to teach them Babylonian language & literature so that he could use them for his kingdom.

Daniel and his three friends were among this group. Even though they had the choice to eat and drink as they liked, they kept themselves from eating or drinking anything that made them impure before God. This pleased God and God’s favor was upon them. They were trained in Babylon for a set period of time.

As for these four young men, GOD gave them KNOWLEDGE and SKILL in all literature and WISDOM; and Daniel had UNDERSTANDING in all visions and dreams.

Daniel 1:17

Now when the training period ended, all these young men were brought before the king. The king interviewed them and none was found like Daniel and his friends. In all matters which the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all the others who were in his kingdom. So they were appointed to serve the King.

There were other competent young men in their group but how did Daniel and his friends do so well? They took a firm decision in their hearts that they will not defile themselves before God and hence God’s favor was upon them. God was with them and gave them such understanding and knowledge that no one else could beat them!!! They were 10 times better than the others!!!

For the Lord gives WISDOM; From His mouth come KNOWLEDGE and UNDERSTANDING;

Proverbs 2:6

CLUE 2: 1 Kings 3: 4-15

Solomon, the son of David succeeded him as the king of Israel. The Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream and asked him what he needs. Solomon asked for an “understanding heart” to judge people. The Lord was well pleased with the request and granted him the request. Solomon became the wisest of all times.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

James 1:5

Treasures uncovered

GOD is our SOURCE of Wisdom, Knowledge and Understanding

ASK God and it will be GIVEN to you. Everyone who asks receives.

Wisdom, knowledge and understanding comes from God. No matter how hard things are, God can give you understanding. If we lack wisdom or understanding, ask God and he will give it freely and generously without rebuke unlike others.

Prayer:

Father we thank you for revealing that you are our source of wisdom, knowledge and understanding. Help us to have a heart that is pleasing in your sight. We ask for your favor upon our lives. Father, we ask you to fill our hearts with wisdom, knowledge and understanding for everyone who asks receives. We believe that we have received it in Jesus name… Amen!

Posted in Ages 11 & above, Life Skills

Choosing Influencers

Posted on by christianliving4young

God chooses our family members for us, but we get to choose our friends. We cross paths with many people during our life time and some of those people take special places in our heart. They also influence our thinking and our actions. The people who influence our thinking, our decision making and our actions are our influencers. So it is very important to choose the right people as our influencers, because there are chances for us to go off-route if our influencers are not going in the right direction.

Friends

As Jesus said

….If the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.

Matthew 15: 14

Hence, we have to choose our influencers VERY carefully.

Some of us fall for good looks and trendy styles when we lookout for friends. Watch out!!! Appearances can be deceptive… Again as Jesus said

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

Matthew 7:15

People can come to you looking like they are innocent and helpful, but they might have wrong intentions at heart – to use you for their benefit, to cheat you, to cause you trouble or to just hurt you!

So how to distinguish between the right and wrong people?

Let us open the treasure book to find clues

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Clue:
A Tree Is Known By Its Fruit

We already learned that when God looks at a person, he searches the heart (What does God notice in ME?). We are not capable of doing that, but definitely we can see what proceeds out of their heart.

“For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. 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 6:43-45

God made beautiful trees and each of those trees produce fruits according to their kind. It is universal that an apple tree bears apples, an orange tree bears oranges and a lemon tree bears lemons. These fruits do not come from thorn bushes. Each of the trees are known by the fruit they bear. Same way, people can be distinguished by the fruit they bear. A good person bears good fruit and an evil person bears evil fruit. A good person cannot bear bad fruit and a bad person cannot bear good fruit.

What is fruit borne by a person?

Fruit borne by a person is his / her speech and action. Speech and action proceeds out of the heart and reflects the heart’s contents. Because, out of the abundance of heart, the mouth speaks. Only if your heart is filled with good, good actions will proceed out. Same way, if the heart is filled with evil only evil actions proceed, how much ever people try to pretend otherwise.

Examples of bad and good fruits

Few of the bad and good fruits are given in Galatians 5:19 – 22

Bad Fruits

All kinds of sexual immorality, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, jealousy & envy, extreme anger, heated arguments & disagreements, selfish ambitions, rebellion against God’s true word, murder, drunkenness & loud alcohol partying, etc.

Good Fruits

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, etc.

Treasures uncovered

Choose your influencers based on the contents of their HEART

Before letting a person influence you,

Be Watchful and find out the fruit borne by a person – the speech and actions that proceeds out of their heart

Evaluate the fruit with the word of God to understand if they are GOOD or BAD

Be alert and watch the actions & words that proceed out of a person. See if their actions are against the will of God or if it aligns with God’s will. Do not let evil people influence you, but at the same time you can be their influencer – help them change their ways by bringing them close to the Lord.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for teaching us that it is important to choose the right people to be our influencers. Help us to be watchful and understand the contents of a person’s heart before letting them influence us. Help us to bear good fruit and influence our friends in the right way and help them come closer to you. In Jesus name Amen!

Posted in Ages 11 & above, The Negatives

Why Challenges?

Posted on by christianliving4young

Life is like a roller-coaster, so unpredictable! We all like our lives to go on very smooth, however, we have to face many different kinds of challenges in life. These challenges appear out of nowhere and when we least expect it. Sometimes it is a chain of issues that surface one after the other.

Roller-coaster

When such challenges appear, we sulk:

“why God, why is this happening to me? What did I do to deserve this!!!”

Specially being children of God we wonder, “why does GOD allow such challenges in our life?”

Well…, as always, let us dive into the treasure book to find clues!

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Clue : Joseph
Genesis 37, 39, 40 & 41

Joseph was one of the most successful personalities mentioned in the bible. He was the Minister of Egypt, the second in power to Pharaoh – the king of the biggest empire during that time. Did he have challenges?

CHALLENGE 1: Genesis 37

When he was about 17 years, his half-brothers sold him as slave to Midianite traders. He was taken away from his father, his own younger brother Benjamin and ripped off every comfort he had at his father’s home.

– trapped by his brothers… How hard it would have been on him?

CHALLENGE 2: Genesis 39

The Midianite traders took him to Egypt.  Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, bought him and took him as a servant for his house. Joseph did all his duties so well that his master was very pleased with him and appointed him to be the head of servants. But then Potiphar’s wife lied about Joseph and he was thrown to a prison where King’s prisoners were kept. He was imprisoned for something he did not do. It would have been very painful and he would have felt so helpless… Have you even been punished for something you did not do?

He had challenges one after the other!!!

Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But the Lord delivers him out of them all.

Psalms 34:19

How did Joseph face the challenges that came his way?

At Potiphar’s house, Joseph would have been terribly missing his family, his friends, his home and he would have been very hurt because of what his half-brothers did to him just recently. But that did not stop him from doing his duties. Infact, he did them so well that he was appointed as the head of servants – from a slave he became the head of servants… God was with him and he was successful in everything he did.

But then he was imprisoned. That too, for something he did not do. It would have again hurt him bad. But this challenge also did not stop him from performing his duties well. Because he was too good, he was put in charge of the prison affairs.

Joseph DID NOT “waste away” being depressed on what happened to him nor did he dwell on his past “cursing his fate”. But he MOVED ON bravely, looking on to God and doing everything that was assigned to him to the best of his ability.

When unexpected things happen to us, we too should not waste away cursing our fate. Like Joseph, let us also “MOVE-ON” looking on to God and doing our duties very well – to the best of our abilities.

Why did GOD allow these challenges in his life?

God’s plan for Joseph was to make him a minister of Egypt to save people including his own household during the time of famine that was about to hit them. However, to handle such a responsible position he should be trained. When we get into any new job, first few days will be training period where we will be prepared for our new position and taught to handle the new responsibilities. Once the training period is over we will be equipped to take over our position.

At Potiphar’s house, he managed the household affairs, and as the head of all servants he learned how to manage people who were reporting to him. Then he was promoted to do an even harder task – to manage affairs of the prison where the king’s prisoners were kept. All the prisoners were put under his care so he was then trained to handle officers of Pharaoh and the affairs of prison. God was with him and prospered Joseph in everything he did. When Joseph was well equipped to handle the position God had in mind for him – to be the minister of Egypt, God shifted him there.

For Joseph, even though it looked like horrible things were happening in his life, the challenges were a training ground to get where God wanted him to be !!

Treasures uncovered

Challenges are training grounds that prepare us for God’s plan & purpose for our future.

The challenges that come our way are not accidental, they are training periods that help us to be equipped for the mission / plan God has for our lives. So face challenges boldly keeping in mind that God is training me for something bigger and better!!!

Prayer:

Father we thank you for teaching us that challenges are preparation grounds that prepare us for bigger tasks. Help us to face our challenges boldly, looking on to you. In Jesus name Amen!!!