Week 1: The Fruit of the Spirit
What are the fruits of the Spirit? We're told in Galatians 5:22-23 that they are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
What does fruit come off? Fruit comes off trees. In various parts of the Bible we are referred to as trees, or vines. If we are trees, then we produce fruit.
There is more than one type of fruit. Apart from the fruit of the spirit, there is also the fruit of the sinful nature, which is: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. These are found in Galatians 5:19-21. At the end of verse 21, Paul says: "I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God." Thats pretty serious stuff.
So heres a question for you personally: what fruit is showing in my life? Its not just a "oh well, God still loves me and it'll be all sweet" kind of thing. God does love you, but He is a Just God and, like Paul said, "those who live like this (the sinful nature) will not inherit the kingdom of God."
So I urge you to look inside yourself, and see what fruit you are producing. Are you producing the fruits of the spirit, or that of the sinful nature. I know we all struggle with getting the fruits of the sinful nature out of our lives, and I'm not expecting you to be perfect, but its a heart decision whether or not you want to strive to live how God created you to, producing good fruit. When we see things that are of the sinful nature what we need to do is: repent of them ( say sorry ) and turn away from them and follow God.
This week focus on chopping off that bad fruit from your life.
What does fruit come off? Fruit comes off trees. In various parts of the Bible we are referred to as trees, or vines. If we are trees, then we produce fruit.
There is more than one type of fruit. Apart from the fruit of the spirit, there is also the fruit of the sinful nature, which is: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. These are found in Galatians 5:19-21. At the end of verse 21, Paul says: "I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God." Thats pretty serious stuff.
So heres a question for you personally: what fruit is showing in my life? Its not just a "oh well, God still loves me and it'll be all sweet" kind of thing. God does love you, but He is a Just God and, like Paul said, "those who live like this (the sinful nature) will not inherit the kingdom of God."
So I urge you to look inside yourself, and see what fruit you are producing. Are you producing the fruits of the spirit, or that of the sinful nature. I know we all struggle with getting the fruits of the sinful nature out of our lives, and I'm not expecting you to be perfect, but its a heart decision whether or not you want to strive to live how God created you to, producing good fruit. When we see things that are of the sinful nature what we need to do is: repent of them ( say sorry ) and turn away from them and follow God.
This week focus on chopping off that bad fruit from your life.
Week 2: Taking Up the Armor of God
There is a passage in Ephesians 6:10-17 that explains the armor of God and that we are in a battle. Turn to Ephesians and read out what those verses say.
Paul talks about being strong in God and His mighty power. He tells us to take up the full armor of God, so that we might be able to stand against our enemy's, Satan's, schemes. Then it goes onto verse twelve, which is my favorite verse. "For our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against the power, against the authorities, against the rulers of darkness in this world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
What does that verse tell us? We're not fighting against unsaved people, or people that make us mad. We're fighting against the rulers and authorities of darkness in this world, the ones who seem to control those people since God doesn't, and we're fighting against the spiritual forces. These forces, or demons, don't have flesh and bone. They are spiritual beings. So our fight with them is not going to be with literal armor, but with things that are in the spiritual realm.
The pieces of the armor that we will need to take up are: the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes of the readiness of the gospel of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit.
In all this armor there is nothing that protects our backs, so we will not be protected if we run from the battle. We are meant to fight the devil head on, using the pieces of the armor to help us.
What are the pieces of the armor used for? I'll write out Ephesians 6:14-17 to give you an idea: "Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."
How do we use them? We tell the truth in all situations, no white lies; we are righteous even when its hard, which it will be I'm sure; wherever we go we take the gospel with us, and are ready in all places to give a reason for our faith; we use our faith always, to deflect what Satan sends our way to hurt us; our minds are protected because of the hope of our salvation; and have the sword of the Spirit, God's word, ready to cut Satan's tries to get us to believe lies. A good way to use God's word, even when we don't have a Bible, is to memorize it, because its often when we don't have a Bible near that Satan will try to trick us.
This week focus on using the full armor of God in your day to day life.
Paul talks about being strong in God and His mighty power. He tells us to take up the full armor of God, so that we might be able to stand against our enemy's, Satan's, schemes. Then it goes onto verse twelve, which is my favorite verse. "For our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against the power, against the authorities, against the rulers of darkness in this world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
What does that verse tell us? We're not fighting against unsaved people, or people that make us mad. We're fighting against the rulers and authorities of darkness in this world, the ones who seem to control those people since God doesn't, and we're fighting against the spiritual forces. These forces, or demons, don't have flesh and bone. They are spiritual beings. So our fight with them is not going to be with literal armor, but with things that are in the spiritual realm.
The pieces of the armor that we will need to take up are: the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes of the readiness of the gospel of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit.
In all this armor there is nothing that protects our backs, so we will not be protected if we run from the battle. We are meant to fight the devil head on, using the pieces of the armor to help us.
What are the pieces of the armor used for? I'll write out Ephesians 6:14-17 to give you an idea: "Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."
How do we use them? We tell the truth in all situations, no white lies; we are righteous even when its hard, which it will be I'm sure; wherever we go we take the gospel with us, and are ready in all places to give a reason for our faith; we use our faith always, to deflect what Satan sends our way to hurt us; our minds are protected because of the hope of our salvation; and have the sword of the Spirit, God's word, ready to cut Satan's tries to get us to believe lies. A good way to use God's word, even when we don't have a Bible, is to memorize it, because its often when we don't have a Bible near that Satan will try to trick us.
This week focus on using the full armor of God in your day to day life.
Week 3: Trust in the Lord
Trust in the Lord
Proverbs 3:5-6, is my mum's favorite verse. It goes like this: "Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, lean not on your own understanding. Acknowledge the Lord in all of your ways, and He will make your path straight."
What does this verse say? If we trust in the Lord with all of our heart, and choose to lean on Him instead of our own understanding, and if we acknowledge God in everything we do, He'll direct our paths. Are you not sure about something at the moment, and you need God's guidance. This is your rule book. If you follow this verse, then God will straighten out those paths that are jumbly bumbly at the moment and help you see the straight path which you're meant to take.
This week think over those two verses and put them into practice in your life.
What does this verse say? If we trust in the Lord with all of our heart, and choose to lean on Him instead of our own understanding, and if we acknowledge God in everything we do, He'll direct our paths. Are you not sure about something at the moment, and you need God's guidance. This is your rule book. If you follow this verse, then God will straighten out those paths that are jumbly bumbly at the moment and help you see the straight path which you're meant to take.
This week think over those two verses and put them into practice in your life.
Week 4: Do not be anxious
In Philippians 4:6-7 we read, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, bring your requests before God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Judging by what Paul wrote in Philippians, do you think we should worry or be anxious? In various other parts of the Bible God says do not be afraid. There are 365 known references where it says in the Bible, do not be afraid. Thats one for every day of the year. Do you think that God's trying to give you a hint?
But you may be thinking, its easy enough to say don't worry, but how to I put legs to my faith? Lets condense the two verses a little and see the guidelines.
Don't be anxious, is what its saying, but in everything you do by praying and petition bring everything thats going on in your life before God with thanksgiving. And God's peace, which is above anything we can understand, will guard your heart and mind in Jesus.
I hope that that spells it out for you and helps you see how you can put arms and legs to your faith, and make it real.
Judging by what Paul wrote in Philippians, do you think we should worry or be anxious? In various other parts of the Bible God says do not be afraid. There are 365 known references where it says in the Bible, do not be afraid. Thats one for every day of the year. Do you think that God's trying to give you a hint?
But you may be thinking, its easy enough to say don't worry, but how to I put legs to my faith? Lets condense the two verses a little and see the guidelines.
Don't be anxious, is what its saying, but in everything you do by praying and petition bring everything thats going on in your life before God with thanksgiving. And God's peace, which is above anything we can understand, will guard your heart and mind in Jesus.
I hope that that spells it out for you and helps you see how you can put arms and legs to your faith, and make it real.
Week 5: He will direct your paths
What does it feel like God's been putting on your heart to do lately? Be friends with someone who the other kids you hang out with aren't interested in, go on a mission trip, or just a trip anywhere, and everyone seems to be against it with no good reason? Or maybe you've got questions fluttering around your mind like millions of moths and your looking for the one butterfly that is the answer to them. Do I go to university or take a year off? Should I continue to home-school or go to college? Should I switch jobs? What if I told the truth in this situation, what would the consequences be? No matter where you are in life there will always be questions.
But the good thing about being tuned in with God is that you know He has the answers to the questions, and even if you don't know them, He does and He has your best interest in mind whenever He asks you to do something. So don't worry about tomorrow, because it will have problems of its own. Focus on God and your relationship with Him, because at the end of the day that's the only thing you can take from this world when you leave it. College and friends and houses and positions in school will be forgotten about. So take some advice from Proverbs and "Acknowledge the Lord in all of your ways, and He will direct your paths.
You are amazing, never forget it.
But the good thing about being tuned in with God is that you know He has the answers to the questions, and even if you don't know them, He does and He has your best interest in mind whenever He asks you to do something. So don't worry about tomorrow, because it will have problems of its own. Focus on God and your relationship with Him, because at the end of the day that's the only thing you can take from this world when you leave it. College and friends and houses and positions in school will be forgotten about. So take some advice from Proverbs and "Acknowledge the Lord in all of your ways, and He will direct your paths.
You are amazing, never forget it.