Kids of the King, Arise!

Hi Everyone

My name is Hannah Taylor. I am 11 years old and I have started the Ladybug Foundation to help the homeless. I like Ladybugs, and they are my mascot. 

Let me tell you why I care about the homeless and why we all must care about people without a home.

When I was 5 years old my mom and I saw a man eating out of a garbage can. I was very sad and felt sick about it. I asked my mom why he had to do that. I talked to my mom about homelessness a lot. Why, Why, Why I asked. If everybody shared what they had would that cure homelessness?

Then I started school and one day when I was going to school, I saw another homeless person; everything she had was in one grocery cart. Now my heart was too sad.

That night before I went to bed I wished I could cure homelessness. Everybody needs a home. I love my home. My mom told me that sometimes when you worry and feel sad about things, if you do something to change the problem, your heart won’t feel so sad. She was right. I don’t worry so much anymore because I know I can help and so can you.

Read all about how her dream became reality. Kids CAN make a difference!

www.ladybugfoundation.ca

Hannah’s Place emergency shelter opened their doors in WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, June 29, 2007 — Men, women, and families in search of a warm bed and a hot shower can find a safe haven at Siloam Mission’s new emergency shelter, Hannah’s Place.

By Elisabeth Poulsen (a story of the kingdom for young children)

CHAPTER 4

Danni looked into the eyes of the boy from Africa. He could tell that his eyes had been touched by the Father/King. His eyes held no fear. They seemed to be so sure of the truth. He wanted to ask him how Father had touched his inside eyes. Danni knew this boy spoke the truth. He also knew this boy felt strong.
Danni was beginning to feel strength growing inside as he listened to the true story of the boy.
He realized truth can make you strong.
 
As the boy continued to tell his story his eyes were thoughtful. He leaned forward and raised his arms and it seemed as though everything became still in the room. Danni’s ears were bursting to hear more. It was as though the story inside this boy had to be told.

The boy went on. He told how the son travelled through many towns and cities teaching the children of the Father.  The Son explained that it was finally the time for them to live once more as Father’s children.  This was the time they had waited to see. Their fathers had spoken of this day all their lives. The children of Adam and Eve felt hope growing within them as they listened to this man. Was He the promised one? Could it be the time?

He taught them the difference between the evil servant’s way and the Father’s way.
He told them about the rules of kindness and love. He said that the poorest children here could be the richest if seen through the eyes of truth.
 
He helped them to see that, what they believed made them rich, was actually a lie of the evil one.  He helped them to see what truly could make a person rich. It was not money and belongings that caused a rich life but knowing your Father/King and having a willingness to give up everything to be His son or daughter that is true richness. For all that the Father has then belongs to you.
 
As the people listened, Father/King could see the ones who truly wanted to know Him. He touched their inside eyes so they could see with truth. Many people began to see clearly. As the Son taught them, they now understood in a new way. Joy filled their hearts. They knew that this was the one of whom their father had spoken. This was the promised one. Father/King had told Adam he would come and Father always keeps his promise. They told their friends and families to come and listen to the good news. They were finally to be rescued from their prison life.

However, there were some whose hearts were hard. Those people were not ready to have their eyes touched. They did not like the news nor did they like the Son. This made the Father/King very sad. He knew they had given their heart to the Evil servant.The Father knew that not all his created children would love Him.
Some would choose to stay with the Evil one.
 
The Son taught many others how to see their Father and how to know Him. He told them many things to help the children of Adam and Eve begin to recognize the lies,  Lies that had made them prisoners of the Evil servant’s ways. He did not want one person to remain in the prison world of the Evil servant.

The son knew the Father loved them very much. The Son also loved them.Slowly and kindly, the son set the people free, within their hearts, to once again become children of their Father.

Each day the Son spent time talking to his Father.  Father/King helped his son understand the ways his children had been treated by the evil servant. He saw how sickness had entered their world. He saw their hardships. He asked his Father if he could heal their bodies and lift some of their problems from them. Father/King would tell him what special things they would do that day to show His love for the children.  He and the Son were filled with great love for all the children of Adam and Eve.
 
Many came to hear the words of the Son each day. They followed him everywhere. They saw him heal the sick. They saw people become happy. They saw their friends begin to see with eyes of truth and understanding.

The evil servant was angry with the son. He saw that he was losing many in his evil kingdom. He called all his army together. He came up with a plan to kill the son. The Father/King knew this plan. He and his son had already prepared for this day long ago. They knew the evil one would always find a plan but theirs was a perfect plan.

The Son had to be very careful now. He knew every part of their plan must happen for it was the Father’s perfect plan. He did not have much longer to work in this dangerous place. He had told the children of Adam and Eve all he could. He had healed many. He had shown the power of His Father’s kingdom.

He prayed all night. He knew this was the last thing he had to do to win the battle for the people.
He and the Father had spoken of this day long ago. It would be the hardest part of his mission to the children and the most dangerous. He must do the rest alone. He would not evne feel his Father near him. Father would not talk with him again until it was over. That made him cry. He knew he would have to trust his Father each moment and never give in. This was the most difficult of all missions. He must not fail. Everything depended on his being true to the plan even though it was the hardest thing he would ever do. Could he complete the mission?

And yet the Son knew, he had to do it for the children. No one else could rescue them. This was to be the only way. If he did not succeed, the children would be prisoners for all time.

Danni could barely believe what he was hearing. How would the son win this battle? How could he win it alone? He didn’t want the son to be hurt. He was sad and scared at the same time. Why didn’t someone help him? Was there really hope for the kingdom children? Why would Father/King let danger come to the son he loved? And yet Danni knew deep inside that this must be a great plan. He felt the strength growing within him as he listened to the true story.

To be continued…….

 Kids we need your help! Danni’s story needs pictures!

Can you draw a picture to illustrate something in this part of the story? You can respond in the comment section of the blog and we will let you know how and where to send it.

When you do we will put the pictures in the story on the Blog!

We can’t wait to see what you come up with!!!

Remember that we are on a treasure hunt to try and figure out what the Kindgom of Heaven is like.  We were going to see if we could find out 

-what the King liked, 

-how to get into the kingdom,      

-how to walk in kingdom power, 

-what the citizens of the kingdom were like,

-how the king runs the kingdom,

-How to walk as sons and daughters of the king,

-and so on

Doris is going to tell us all about what the citizens of the kingdom were like. She is going to talk about their character, or the fruit of the spirit it is called in the Bible. These are very important keys so lets listen carefully to what she shares…

Jesus’ Joy By Doris Przybylski

Have you ever had a day when everything was going really well and you felt quite happy . . . and then your brother or sister was mean to you or you hurt yourself, like falling off your skateboard while practicing a jump that caused you to scrape both knees . . . and all that happiness just went away?

Happiness can come and go because of circumstances; circumstances are events that take place in our lives.  The Holy Spirit wants to grow Jesus’ Joy in our hearts because His Joy won’t go away when difficult circumstances happen to us.

In Galatians 5:22-23 God tells us about different things that the Holy Spirit wants to grow in our lives,
 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,  goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control”

One of the awesome things about God is that when He tells us that we need to be a certain way, and we know we are not like that, that He is the one that changes us, we can’t change ourselves.  It takes all the pressure to perform of off us, because Jesus doesn’t want us to ‘perform for Him’; He just wants us to be ‘us’.

Something that God asked the nation of Israel to do that would help them grow closer to Him was to make altars.  In the book of Joshua, chapters 3 & 4, the nation of Israel needed get to the other side of the Jordan River, but the river was at flood stage and they were not able to get safely across the river on their own.  Well, God made the river waters stop flowing and the Israelites crossed the river on dry ground, just like when they crossed the Red Sea!  God instructed them to get stones and pile them together to make an altar, then when they walked past the altar, they would remember the awesome thing that God had done for them. 

Jesus loves to show Himself to be strong in our lives.  When we take the time to remember the things that God has done for us and for others, His joy in us has a chance to grow.

ACTIVITY:  

You can make your own altar! 
Ask your mom or dad for a BIG piece of paper, find a space on a wall and stick it up.  Then stop and think.  What has God done for you?  You can also go to members in your family and to your friends and ask them what God has done for them.  The things that God has done for us are what you put on the piece of paper.  For example, if someone needed money and God gave them money from an unexpected place, get a dime or quarter and tape it on the paper and write that person’s name beside it.  Or, if God healed someone draw a picture of the body part that God healed and write that person’s name beside it.  Then, when you walk by the altar, remember what God has done and thank Him for it.  You will find God’s JOY growing in your life!

Alter “To the one true God” built by Ben in Hawaii. Ben lives in Winnipeg.

 DEVOTIONS BY KIDS FOR KIDS  

Jeremy (Age 11)
Winnipeg, Manitoba

Scripture: From the lips of children and infants You have ordained praise because of Your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.” Psalm 8:2

When we were having a time of prayer asking God to speak to us at Daniel Prayer Group, the Lord gave me this picture.
I saw a dragon breathing fire and a whole lot of people behind him coming towards us. Then I saw a picture of Jesus with a lot of kids behind him, but Jesus was using the tambourine with the “victory triumph” pattern and as He did the dragon was pushed back and scattered.
We had been talking about a kid at school that would all of a sudden “go ballistic”. We decided to pray for him using the tambourines and praise God that he was strong and victorious. The teacher, who was one of our leaders, told us later that the kid was so much quieter and had not had a time when he was so angry for a long time, since we prayed for him in praise.

I think God is telling us that we need to praise Him and as we do the enemy will be pushed back.

I didn’t know but the scripture the lady that teaches tambourine, Lezlie, gave for the Victory pattern is:
There, (on the Cross) Christ defeated all powers and forces. He let the whole world see…and celebrated His victory. Col. 2:15 NKJV   COOL!

(See some girls using the victory pattern in Rachel’s “Devotion by Kids for Kids” on July 2nd)  

Copy this puzzle. Then look up the following verses to see ALL the differeent ways that God spoke to these people. Draw a line from the scripture verse to the person that was affected. 

Daniel 1:17, Daniel 2:19                                              Samuel                                       
Genesis 37: 5-10                                                        Gideon
Judges 6: 12-16                                                        Joseph
1 Samuel 3: 10-11                                                       Daniel
1Kings 20: 12-13                                                        Wise men
Matthew 2: 2                                                             Elijah
Luke 1: 11-13                                                              Paul
Acts 9: 3-4                                                                Balaam
Numbers 22:21-30                                                     Zechariah 

Did you find these? (Dreams, visions, angels visiting, audible voice, signs in the heavens,a talking donkey!) You know they are just a few examples because there are MANY times in scripture when God lets His message be known in unusual ways.  
 

There is a verse that tells us that in the last days, or the days before Jesus will come back that;
“I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions.”(Joel 2: 28)
The days that we are living in are special days. Things that were prophesied in the Bible 1000’s of years ago are coming true NOW. Things that your grandparents or great grandparents only dreamt about are happening in your life time. We are living in these last days. 

SO if the Bible is true (2 timothy 3:16) you will also see that God will pour out His spirit, and more people will see visions, and dream dreams that are from Him. The Bible says so. And what God says we can put our trust in because He doesn’t lie.  This is not only for older people but for children as well.  Sometimes He gives us warnings or directions, or encouragement, just like He did in the scriptures we read above. We know that it is God speaking to us if what we hear is confirmed by what the Bible tells us. It will never be something that will encourage us to do something the Bible says is wrong. 

Extra points for figuring these out:
1. Joel 2:30, the first part of the verse. When did you see this happening in the Bible?  Let me know in the comment section below. 
2. Look up Mathew 2 and read through the whole chapter. Underline ALL the times that God speaks to people and how He speaks in this chapter. It is really amazing.  O.K. that was a special time in history but it shows that when there is an important message that The King wants His sons and daughters to know about He makes sure that it is heard. 

Lesson 5: Kingdom of Heaven
by Stephanie McIntyre

Length of Lesson:  30 – 45 min
Ages: 8-12 year olds
Bible basis: Psalm 19:1-4; Romans 1:19-20; Psalm 104
Key theological concept: Friendship with God means getting to know Him (abiding with Him).

Materials:
Journals
Bible
Orange or apple
Magazines with nature and animals
Glue
Marker
Poster board (optional if decorating journals)
White board

Objectives: Students will…
KNOW:
1. that we can get to know God through spending time with Him, by reading the Bible and praying
2. that we can get to know God through nature, because He has left His imprints on our world

FEEL • confident that it is possible to relate to God
 
ACT:
1. before reading the Bible, ask God to show them something to encourage them, a promise to hold onto, or a sin to     ask forgiveness for and change.
2. spend time reading the Bible
3. record thoughts in a journal

Spiritual Formation:
Prayer & Bible reading, reflection

Focus:
– To refresh children’s memory from last lesson, hold up a picture of someone famous.  Ask; How many of you would like to get to know ______?  Are you star struck by this person?
– Ask; How many of you would like to get to know God better?
 
Procedure:

 1. ASK: How do you get to know someone? Think of someone you would like to know.  What would you do to get to know that person? (try to spend time together, find out what kinds of things are close to his/her heart, what’s important to them, what they like, look at things they have made, listen as they talk, do something together)

Explain that we can get to know God in some of the same ways – spending time with Him, looking at things He made, and doing something together.

 2. ASK: How do we spend time with God?  What does that look like?  (Reading the Bible and praying). 
 3. ASK: Do you ever have a hard time focusing when you read the Bible?  (It helps to pray first, asking God to show you something to encourage you, a promise to hold onto, or a sin to ask forgiveness for and change.)
 
Let’s try that as a group: Read aloud Psalm 19:1-4 or Psalm 104. After reading the Bible:

 4. ASK: In what way do we know more about God and His ways NOW than what we knew BEFORE we read. What did you notice while we read together?

On a white board note down the things the kids bring up. Explain that this is like a group journal, but that they can keep their own journal when they read the Bible by themselves.
 
 5. ASK: do any of you have a perfect memory?  Do you remember every single moment of your lives?  Of course not.  Keeping a journal helps us to remember what God has been showing us and teaching us.  So, the first way of getting to know God is through spending time with Him, by reading the Bible and praying.

ACTIVITY:

Remind children of the discussion about how to get to know people – the second way was by looking at the things they made. 
 
 • If possible, hold up a picture you painted or drew, an object you created, or even a picture you took.  Tell the group that we are going to play a game.  They are going to look at this picture and try to guess things about the artist (what they are like, what kinds of things they like—e.g. it might show that they love nature, or that they pay close attention to detail, or that they love colour, etc.) Bring in objects from several different artists if possible.

Note:  To make it competitive, divide into two groups and have them make a list.  Make sure you do an example or two first before dividing into groups, so they get some ideas

Explain that in the same way we can “guess” things about artists from what they have made, we can learn about God from the things He has made.  He made the world and all of nature, so when we look at nature we can learn about Him (but our guesses aren’t always perfect – that’s why we have the Bible, too, to help us interpret what we see).

 • Hold up an orange or an apple. 
 • Ask: Do you think we can learn about God from this fruit?  We can!  Have you ever cut open an orange/apple and looked closely inside?  Cut the fruit open so that the pattern of seeds is showing.  Did you ever notice that the seeds of an apple make a 5 pointed star?  And there are always 5 seeds inside an apple?  What could that show us about God?  (He likes to be creative and put cool patterns in things because He cares about detail, He is consistent)

Read Romans 1:19-20 aloud.  God says that since the creation of the world His invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made.  He has also given each person the knowledge that He is there and wants to know us.  He has given us all we need to get to know Him.  We are as close to God as we want to be.

 • Hand out magazines and have children cut out some pictures of nature scenes or animals.  They can create a collage on Bristol board or their journal cover.  When they are finished, write with a marker somewhere on the page, “O Lord my God, You are very great!”

Closure:
 Close with prayer: Thank You, God, that You have made the world in such a way that it points to You.  Thank You also for the Bible, wherein we can read all about what is important to You and also about Your care for us.  Thank You that You have put Your Word in our hearts.  Help me as I seek to know You better.  Amen.

Resources:

Based on Sadler, Carolin.  Warrior Bride Arise.  Belleville, ON: Essence Pubilishing, 2004.  Pages 35

Katrina
Age 8
Winnipeg Manitoba 

A friend of mine, Doug, was going to Rwanda on a Missions trip with a bunch of people. He is a leader in our Daniel Prayer group. I wanted to say good bye to him at church, and tell him that I felt that God wanted me to pray for him while he was away on the trip. As we learned at DPG that God leads us and speaks to us, I felt that is what He wanted for me to do this summer. Prayer is a key of the kingdom cause Jesus talked to God all the time to find out what was on His heart and just to talk to Him.  (See Keys of the Kingdom #12)

It is important that we pray for people on missions trips because sometimes it is very hard and they need courage to go. They are going to Rwanda to work with kids there and to build a recording studio so they can broadcast Christian programs and music. They are also buying goats for widows (women whose husbands have died). These goats will provide milk for their family and they can also have little goats…which are called “kids” so that they can have more milk and also sell these “kids”. (The animal kids not the people kids) This helps these familes have enough money to live.

Here is a picture about what they are doing that I really liked. “A goat giving”

They have had a really hard time in Rwanda and there are many orphan children and widows. Jesus loves these people and cries because of some of the things that they have experienced. When we join Him in praying for these people we share in the pain that he has when he sees these things. Sometimes he calls people to be his hands and feet and help, like Doug and the team is doing.  Katrina listened to what God was asking her to do and obeyed.  You can look at what this team is doing at www.xanga.com/thesoundofhope07

How about you, This is something you can do as well. Are there missionaries that you know about or areas of the world that have alot of sadness that you could pray for? Ask God to place someone or an area of the world on your heart.

ACTIVITY 

Get out a world map and look up RWANDA. It is in Africa in the middle. Join this little Rwandan orphan boy in praying for the children in Rwanda.

• Pray that they would know the Father’s love and no longer be orphans but sons and daughters of the King
• Pray that they would have enough food to eat, and asafe place to live.
• Pray for the Africa Mission Alliance and other mission organisations as they work to provide schooling and help for these children.
• Pray for King’s Kids Rwanda as they start a work in Kigali this week among the children there.
• Pray YOUR KINGDOM COME YOUR WILL BE DONE in Rwanda !

LET YOUR YOPPS BE HEARD TO BRING GOD’S KINGDOM TO EARTH

Christina’s idea.

I spoke to Christina and asked her to tell me all about why she was having a neighborhood bible club at her house this summer.

A:“Well, I like to organize things and do things with my friends and make new friends, and let people know about God.”

Q:“Do you think God asked you to do this?”

A:“I don’t know but I had this idea.”

Q:“Did you ask Him to confirm it?”

A:“Yes, but He didn’t answer, but my mom said it was a good idea and my dad let me use the computer to make flyers and they don’t often let me use the computer. My mom doesn’t usually think I am serious when I want to do stuff, but this time she did.”

Q:“Do you think that God was answering you by your parents agreeing with you, helping you and thinking it was a good idea?”

A:“Yeah, maybe, it could be, I hadn’t thought about that.”

Q:“So what did you do?

A:“I went to all the houses on my street that had kids and gave them a flyer inviting them to crafts, games and Bible stories and prizes”    

Q:“So how did it go?”

A:“Well I was disappointed as there were only my friends and I already knew them. But they don’t know Jesus, so we could tell them.”

“Christina, did you know that God doesn’t look at how many came, but He does look at your heart and that you obeyed the thoughts that He put there.  He is very proud of you. There is a verse in Zechariah 4: 10 LB that says: “Do not despise, (or think little about) this small beginning, for the eyes of the Lord REJOICE to see the work begun.”

He made you with certain gifts and abilities. When you use these abilities to obey, it brings joy to His heart. Next time when there is something else that He thinks would be a good idea, he looks around for someone with a heart to obey Him. He will see you and think, “Oh here is a little girl that listens and obeys, I’ll tell her.”

So how about it?  This is an idea for other kids as well this summer.  Christina spoke out and shared her idea. Her yopp was heard. Why not go around to your neighborhoods and invite kids “to crafts, games and Bible stories and prizes.”
You can also find help and resourses though Child Evangelism Fellowship at www.cefcanada.org , and ask them about their 5 day summer clubs.

Kids let your Yopps be heard to bring God’s kingdom to earth.

By Elizabeth Poulsen (A story of the Kingdom for young children)

Danni felt his heart racing beneath his shirt. He wanted to know what the Father King would do to rescue this family. What was the plan to be?
The boy from Africa looked at Danni and continued…

The plan was a perfect plan.
It would be very dangerous and the son would have to leave behind his kingdom.
He would have to leave all his riches behind.  He had to leave all his friends.
He could not take his powers for they too would have to be left behind. He had to totally trust his Father to protect him for he knew he would be in the kingdom where the evil one would tempt him. He knew the power of the evil one would be very difficult to bear.
The son knew that it would cost him everything to rescue the man and his family.
He knew that this journey would be the hardest thing he had ever done. He had never been away from his Father before. They had done everything together. Now he must do this alone. He also knew that this was what his father wanted, so he wanted it just as much. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for his Father, the King. The King’s son knew this was the only way but the timing for his rescue was very important.
The son waited for the moment when the king would give the final command.
The other servants of the king also waited for the exact moment.

Finally, it came.

All watched to see what the king had decided. Would he create again?
YES! He would create again. The king breathed into a daughter of Eve and she had a child. This child would be the one who would rescue the children of the king. The tiny baby would carry the spirit of His son. All his servants watched and wondered. They wondered how the king would rescue the children.

The evil servant knew the king had a plan. He knew he had to stop this plan. The king’s children often spoke of the plan their father, Adam,  had been given in a dream. They had waited a very long time for the dream to come true. Adam had told them to never forget the dream. He said the king had promised to rescue them. He said the king always kept his promises. He told them not to believe the lies of the evil servant. Some of his children listened. Some chose to believe the lies, their lives and their children’s lives were very hard.

As the child grew, he saw the sadness in all the people. He saw how hard their life was in this kingdom. The evil servant tried to have him killed many times, but His Father, the King always rescued him. Sometimes he hid him, sometimes he gave dreams to people to warn them of his danger, but always he protected him.

The king would give the child wisdom when he asked. He taught him how to understand the world around him by touching his eyes to see the way the King saw his world. The child knew that if he could see a problem through His Father King’s eyes, he would see the true way.

Often he went off by himself to talk to his Father King early in the day. He talked to him from his heart and the Father would talk back to him.

The child learned that he had two kinds of eyes. He had the eyes that most people have to see and he had another kind of eyes that saw from his inside. When he looked at something from this part of himself, he felt wise and peaceful.
He learned from His Father/King that this was called the Eyes of his Understanding. These eyes had to be opened by his Father/King because they were in the part of him that is his spirit man. He learned that when Father created man and woman, he created them with three parts, like Father.

There was a body, a soul which is where our mind, our feelings and our will to make choices are, and there was a spirit. The spirit is where the eyes of our understanding are and they can only be opened by our Father/King who created us.

Father knew that His son would need this part of him opened to accomplish his mission. He would need to know the truth about all things to stay free from the evil servant’s lies and tricks. Everything he must do would have to be according to the King’s plan and would have to be at the exact time. There was much to do and so very little time.

The evil servant sent all his armies to try to stop the son, but the King sent HIS armies to protect the son he loved.
The king knew his plan was the perfect plan. He knew His son loved Him and would obey Him. The king had waited a long time for his children. It was now the time to open the eyes of his children to see.

Danni could hardly breathe as he waited to hear the end of the story. He wondered about his own eyes. How could he learn to see from his spirit. He longed to know more. He wondered about his world around him. He wondered about his family. He had many questions forming inside his heart. How would the world around him look through eyes of truth. He had to know. Perhaps this is how he could help his family……..to be continued

Kids we need your help! Danni’s story needs pictures!

Can you draw a picture to illustrate something in this part of the story? You can respond in the comment section of the blog and we will let you know how and where to send it.

When you do we will put the pictures in the story on the Blog!

We can’t wait to see what you come up with!!!

Hearing God’s Voice #1 

So now we’ve seen that Jesus only did what He saw Father God doing. Do you remember the verse? (John 5: 19-23)
If you can’t remember look it up, or go back to Keys of the Kingdom #11 on the blog.

How did Jesus know what God wanted to do? Yes before he was born on earth He lived with Father God in heaven and so knew what God was like and what he liked and didn’t like. But for the different situations He faced while He was on earth, and before He made any big desicions, he prayed.  He prayed to stay close to father God and to know what was on His heart. 

Look up these scripture verses that show how much prayer was a part of what Jesus did while He was on earth.

Luke 6:12;
Mathew 14:23;
Luke 5:16;
Luke 9:18

Did you know that even now while Jesus is in heaven He is still praying, and what for?  For you and me and all the other people in the world. (Romans 8:34b)

Now what about us? We’ve seen that it is important to be obedient and follow Jesus’ example in this. But how do we hear God’s voice and know what He wants for us? Well, God speaks to us many ways.
Remember, when Adam and Eve sinned the heavenly Father promised that he would still leave His fingerprint in His creation so that people could still find Him.  He would also leave His fingerprint in their hearts that they would know when they did something wrong or right, and could choose to seek Him.

Look up these verses and fill in the blanks:
Romans 1:19 LB; For the truth about God is known to them instinctively, God has put this knowledge _________________________
Romans 1:20 NIV; For since the _______________________ God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature- have been clearly seen.
John 16:13 LB; When the ___________________, who is truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth.
2 Timothy 3:16 LB; the __________________ was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us do what is right

God also speaks to us through people that teach us about Him. Who are those people in your life?

The apostle Paul talks to young Timothy and encourages him to “teach these things (the truths about God) well and make sure that everyone learns them well.” (I Timothy 5:9 NIV) Paul encouraged Timothy to listen well, but also when he was taught to tell others. This is where YOU come in, listen well, and what you have been taught share with others. You don’t have to wait till your are older remember.

What are different ways God speaks to us?
The Holy Spirit, the Bible, our conscience, creation, other people. 

1) Ask God to speak to you this week in one of these ways. At the end of the week ask yourself, “What new thing did I learn about God this week?” or  “What is God asking me to do?” or  “What did He tell me about myself? “

2) Take some time this week and really see the creation around you.
Here is one example. Look up Isaiah 40: 22

To give you an idea of the size of the heavens that are described in verse 22, “to reach the CLOSEST star by airplane would take approximately 51 billion years non-stop! That is 51,000,000,000 years!”    — LOTS of zeros– God measures these distances with the span of his hand!  Maybe God is bigger than we thought!

This evening, or the first clear evening, go outside to an area where there are not many streetlights and look at the sky. Think carefully, God made all of these stars. Let God speak to your heart and in AWE remember that the God who made all of these, calls them by name, and holds them in place is the God that wants to be your friend and call you His son or daughter.