Tilling the ground Part 2

Tilling the ground Gen 2:5b

We have established that preparing your spiritual ground is an on-going process and your offspring will grow spiritually as they observe you and learn from your consistent teachings.
Please answer the following questions and decide your next steps based on your answers:
For children < 6years
1) Does your child have a personal space and time to talk to God?
1a)Is this done consistently at least a.m and p.m ? Josh 1:8
2) Does your child have a personal, age appropriate bible? Click here (read the word 001) to see a sample
3) Have you taught your child how to pray? Click here (prayer, part 2) to read more
4) Do you buy age appropriate Christian books to help your children understand the bible more? Click here to request a free book
5) Does your child have an attractive journal that inspires creative writing. It could also be a plain note book, but help them to make writing interesting. Based on their bible study, they can draw, write a poem, make a word cloud from a bible story, make a gratitude list etc

For children > 6 years
In addition to the above,
1) Does your child know the difference between reading and meditating? Click here (what is in your mouth) to see practical example of meditation.
2) Does your child have a structure for studying the bible? It is good to pick random verses sometimes. However, as they grow older and need to feed more on the word, a few random scriptures won’t suffice for their spiritual growth. 1Pet 2:2
3) Have you taught your older children how to pray using scriptures they have been reading and meditating? Job 22:28
( you can request e copy of scripture cards to help them memorize scriptures and then use them in prayers)

4) Do you have a daily devotional for your children. You can request here

*some children may already have the burning passion for a deeper relationship with the Holy Spirit. Encourage them to study Acts of the Apostles to know more about the Holy Spirit and how to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Family discussion: a) Teach your children what to do in their personal space with God. Let them know the importance of interacting with the Hoy Spirit. He is the teacher, helper, counsellor b) Set a regular time for family bible discussion.

Activity: Allow some variety in the mode of teaching you deploy. Use bible games, bible based videos, break the code, fill in the gap, colouring bible verses/bible characters etc (note: these resources are never to replace the bible itself)

Reflection/prayer: Highlight one or two goals as next steps for each child. Work on achieving these goals. You can take baby steps, but consistency is KEY.
Father, thank you for blessing us with these children. Help us to work on our set goals and keep growing spiritually in Jesus name. Amen

#Never too early to start

#Never too late to start

Tilling the ground

The earth will not yield its increase if there is no man to till the ground and no rain Gen 2:5b

What is tilling? it is a process of getting the soil ready for planting. It involves mixing organic matter into the soil and breaking up crusted soil.

To get the best out of the soil of our lives and that of our children, someone has to labour to prepare the soil, then God sends the rain, then we reap the harvest.

Tilling in a spiritual context means preparing our hearts to receive the rain of the Spirit.

How do we till our spiritual ground?

The most essential element is salvation which reconciles us with the father and provides the opportunity to develop a relationship with Him (Jn 3:16) by the help of the Holy Spirit (Jn 14:16)

1)Prepare the ground with required spiritual nutrients

a) Word: The word of God is food for our Spirit 1Pet 2:2. Take advantage of the numerous resources available online and offline to help us feed on the word e.g sermons, books.

Note: Nothing can replace personal study and meditation on the word alongside interaction with the Holy Spirit. You must schedule time for this day and night Josh 1:8

(the hyperlinks make reference to previous notes-‘what is in your mouth’ and ‘Holy Sprit and you Part 2’)

b)Prayer: Whenever you study the word, you will definitely know what to pray. Pray based on your understanding of the word to establish promises/ prophecies and receive grace to imbibe the principles you have learnt.

Prayer will also loosen the soil of your heart, shape your character, purge (cleanse) you and make you ready to receive the rain of God’s presence.

Remember the devil is looking for who to devour and sows tares when men sleep (1Pet 5:8; Matt 13:25). Prayer and the word will make your spiritual ground unsuitable for any seeds of the devil (such as bad character, infirmities, divorce, violence, alcoholism, indecent dressing) to germinate. This will only happen if you do what the word says by the help of the Holy Spirit.

Preparing your spiritual ground is an on-going process, but it is important that you have gotten this right before your children start arriving. If you haven’t or you are still inconsistent, now is the time to start working on the ground of your heart and do so consistently.

As you receive the rain of the Spirit and you are well nourished, you will not struggle to nurture the seeds (your offspring). If you are firmly rooted in the soil that has been well prepared (and is still being nourished continuously and consistently), your fruits will definitely be well nourished and grow as they should.

Next time, we will talk about how to help the fruits retain the nourishment. They must also learn by observation and be taught actively to till their own ground  as they grow.

Reflection: Pls examine your spiritual soil. Is it lacking nutrients? Examine your children’s spiritual soil, is it well nourished?

Prayer: Father, we thank you for this word. We pray that you help us identify any spiritual nutrient that we are missing and help us to invest time into feeding on your word.

Holy Spirit and you Part 3

Previously we talked about the ministry of the Holy Spirit as a strengthener and helper Jn 14:16 (Amplified version).

The power that a believer receives when they are baptized by the Holy Spirit is primarily for witnessing- “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8.

Why do we need power?

Do not think that it is only those who preach to a large audience that need power. As a parent, you are required to train your children in the way of the Lord, you are therefore a soul winner in that regard. You are to ensure that your children are established in God’s kingdom-this task requires the power of the Holy Spirit because you are up against the battle for young people’s life and destiny.

Sharing the gospel is to be accompanied by signs and wonders, so as we preach the word, the power of the Holy Spirit backs up our evangelism and demonstrates God’s supernatural abilities. For instance, when you share a scripture with someone who is anxious and confused, by the power of the Holy Spirit accompanying the word you speak, the person will experience joy and peace. This makes it easier for the person to believe what you are saying about Jesus and then become saved.

Furthermore, when we talk about wonders it is not only drastic healings like the lame walking or the blind seeing. It may be emotional healing which is also very crucial in this present days.

Family discussion:

Thank God for your family and that you know God, but the word must spread to other families too. Share the gospel at the school, in the community park etc.

“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16.He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”

The children have been taught previously how to do this. Please refer to previous notes here- ‘what are you passing on’.

Encourage one another within your family to tell someone about Jesus just the same way you discuss the new recipe you found or the website to visit for great discount or your favourite TV show/ movie/you tube channel. For instance, when asked at work or school about how you spent your weekend, always remember to mention all the lovely things you did at church-may be re-enactment of bible stories, drawing/colouring or planting seeds, singing/dancing etc.

Remember it is a major assignment of the Holy Spirit to help us preach the gospel Acts 1:8. Just be bold and be willing and look out for opportunities around you.

Activity: Get a small book for each member of the family (you can actually ask your children to make a book and design it as they like). Whenever you tell someone about Jesus, make note of it in your little book.

Hint: You can actually start by telling those of your household what you learnt from your bible or how you practiced something you learnt. Gradually, you will be able to share the word outside your home too.

Reflection/prayer: Take time to think about the great commission (Mark 16:15-16) and  pray that God will help you to work on that assignment effectively by the help and power of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit and You-Part 2

Engaging /interacting with the Holy Spirit John 3:8, Gen 28:16

  • Holy Spirit is a spiritual personality that you can interact with just like you do with physical friends.
  • For you to enjoy the friendship of the Holy Spirit, you have to deliberately interact with Him like you do with your friends.

Important things to note:

a) You must be aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit in order to engage Him. You need to spend quality time with the Holy Spirit.

b) You should expect Holy Spirit’s response to your interactions with Him

*His presence is always there, but you need to stir it up

How to engage/interact with the Holy Spirit

1) Engage/interact with God’s word: Read, and most importantly meditate on the word and do what it says.
a) The word is Spirit and life Jn 6:63
b) The word has the ability to interact with your spirit and reveal to you the things of God Heb 4:12, 1Cor 2:9-12
E.g: The Holy Spirit came upon Cornelius and his household while they listened to God’s word through Peter Acts 10:44-45

2) Pray abundantly (especially in the Spirit): Praying is not just to request from God, it is also for fellowshipping and interacting with the Holy Spirit.
Jude 1:20 It builds you up in the spirit and makes your spirit sensitive to receive from the Holy Spirit.

3) Eph 6:18: “……all prayer and supplication in the Spirit…i.e intentionally praying in order to, and until you are tuned to the Holy Spirit and attentive enough to hear him.
e.g Peter’s vision while praying on the roof Acts 10:9-13; apostles’ prayer for boldness after been threatened. Acts 4:18,31

4) Quality and continuous worship
Praying always draws us close to God, worship draws God close to us
Eph 5:18-20 Worship attracts the presence and manifestation of the Holy Spirit to a worshipper e.g Paul and Silas in prison Acts 16:24-26
Disciples in Antioch Acts 13:2

Remember to do the above with awareness of the presence of the Holy Spirit, spend more time with the word, in prayer and in worship and expect the Holy Spirit to respond as well.

Q&A

Prayer circle: Take turns to pray for each member of the family asking for the help of the Holy Spirit to develop any of the interactive channels discussed that they may be struggling with (may be inconsistency in studying/meditating on the word, inability to pray or worship effectively).

The Holy Spirit and You-Part 1

The Holy Spirit and You Jn 14:16

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the trinity. He was first mentioned before creation Gen1:2

Holy Spirit in the old testament:

The Holy Spirit was mentioned several times in the old testament.

Activity one: Can you try to list some instances where the Holy Spirit manifested in the lives of some people in the old testament? See some answers below:

  1. The 70 elders Num 11:24-27
  2. Gideon Judg 6:34
  3. Samson Judg 13:25

Holy Spirit in the new testament:

In the new testament, Jesus promised that he will send to believers the Holy Spirit Jn 15:26. The Holy Spirit will be with us forever as opposed to the occasional experience some people had in the old testament Jn 14:16

The ministry of the Holy Spirit:

And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), to be with you forever. Jn 14: 16 (Amplified version).

Activity two: Can you share with one another instances where the Holy Spirit has been a Helper, Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor, Counselor, Strengthener or Standby to you and/or your family.

What do you need to do to develop intimacy with the Holy Spirit?

  1. Know the Holy Spirit-You can learn about the Holy Spirit and his ministry by studying the Acts of the Apostles.
  2. Be conscious of the person of the Holy Spirit and his ministry as discussed above.

For instance, acknowledge his role as your helper by asking the Holy Spirit to give you understanding of the word before you read your bible and bible resources like bible story books, Christian literature, bible app etc.

Ask the Holy Sprit to help you to pray for he knows the heart of the Father 1Cor 2:11

3. Invest more time interacting with the Holy Spirit whether in word, worship or prayer. You know he is present with you, but are you speaking to him and expecting response?

Prayer: Father, we pray for a deeper encounter with the Holy Spirit in Jesus name. Amen.