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My bible and I

My bible and I Josh 1:8, Ps 119:105

The bible is God’s way of communicating to His children the knowledge of him, His ways, His promises and what he wants us to do.

This post aims to reinforce the action points highlighted in the previous post: ‘new beginning-back to school spiritual preparation’

1) Have you supported your child to schedule a feasible time for ‘Jesus & me time’?

-Do an assessment daily and at the end of each week, listen to your child’s questions/challenges and agree on a few realistic goals towards growing their relationship with God.

-Does your child need to go to bed early to allow early morning ‘Jesus &me’ time? Make necessary adjustment to accommodate this. e,g serve dinner on time, schedule devices to go off at a certain time, fix a regular time for bed time prayers so they don’t have to stay up late waiting for prayers etc

-Assign one of the children to remind everyone when it is time for prayer (your children may welcome the idea of making a rota for this as some children love to be given ‘leadership’ roles).

2) What is your child doing during his/her ‘Jesus &me’ time?

Provide guidelines on what can be done during this time and provide age appropriate resources. Please click here to leave a message if you need help with this including free Christian books.

Some helpful tips:

-You can create a chart where your will child colour/tick what they have done for each day. You can add a photo of your child reading his/her bible to the chart and do a coloured printing.

The columns on the chart includes: Pray, read my bible, write in my journal, meditate on a verse, memorise a verse, practise what I learnt.

*see sample below.

-Give incentives, probably monthly, to encourage your child.

3) Dad& mum,

-Assess your personal walk with God regular and lead by example

-Bring to God in prayers whatever challenges your child mentions during daily/weekly review of their ‘Jesus & me time’

-Schedule quality time to fellowship as a family (this includes prayer and fasting, bible study, question & answer, sharing testimonies and experiences (past/current) to edify one another.

Family circle: Take turns to pray for each family member, ask them for what they would like you to pray about.

I pray that God will help us seek after Him whole heartedly that we may find Him in Jesus name. Jer 29:13, Ps 42:1

# Consistency is key

Date	Pray	Read bible	journal	meditate	memorise	Word practice
21/09/2023	√	√	√
22/09/20232	√	√	√		√
23/09/2023	√	√	√	√	√	√

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We are not orphans

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Jn 14:18

Jesus promised to send us the Holy Spirit to abide with us forever Jn 14:16.

This post is to remind us Christians that we are not orphans in this world. We have the Holy Spirit whose ministry is to help us live a life that is pleasing and acceptable to God in this ungodly world Rom 12:1.

We need the help of the Holy Spirit to keep us holy and blameless till Jesus returns
Eph 4:30, 1Thess 5:23.

As discussed in one of the previous posts, prayer and word are essential nutrients for spiritual growth. It is by the help of the Holy Spirit that we can pray effectively Rom 8:26, James 5:16. Also, it is the Holy Spirit that helps us to understand the Word and do what it says.

A Spirit filled Christian is constantly aware of God’s presence and is able to live in this world without compromise. Praying in the language of the Spirit strengthens our inner man Eph 3:16. Click here to read about how speaking in tongues helps us in our day to day activities.

Family discussion:

Have you received the baptism of the Holy Spirit evidenced by speaking in tongues? Has your child received the baptism of the Holy Spirit too? Acts 10:44-48.

You can study the Acts of apostles to learn more about the Holy Spirit. As you do so, express your hunger and desire for the baptism of the Holy Spirit in prayers. You can also read books that can help you understand the ministry of the Holy Spirit more (The Holy Spirit my senior partner by David Yonggi Cho, The Holy Spirit and His gifts by Kenneth E Hagin)

“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” Jn 4:24
Worship is not only in songs, all that we do in our day to day life must be done as an act of worship to glorify God. This implies that our Spirit must be in an ‘activated’ mode always, to connect with the Father and this can only be possible if we have been baptized in the Holy Spirit. Acts 19:3-7.

Reflection: If you have been struggling with your prayer life/bible study or struggling to desist from some bad characters (alcoholism, gossiping, immorality, lying, unforgiveness, bitterness, laziness), ask the Holy Spirit to help you.

Meditation: Encourage all your family members to read/memorize this scripture:
Ps 50:10-12. Spend some time meditating on it and cleanse your heart daily.

Remember, we are not orphans.

Prayer: Thank you Lord for your Word reminding us of the promise of the Holy Spirit and His assignment on earth. I pray that henceforth, I will take full advantage of the benefits of the Holy Spirit, helping me to live in the world without compromising in any little way in Jesus name. Amen

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Tilling the ground Part 2

Tilling the ground Gen 2:5^b

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

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Tilling the ground

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

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.

Taking territories_what is missing?

We thank God for helping us to sharpen the tools needed for taking territories- divine presence, strength, courage, fearlessness and godly relationships (Josh 1:9). There’s an important question we have to answer-Have you made a move(s) towards possessing territories?

Joshua and the people of Israel were strengthened by knowing that God’s presence was with them. They were courageous and ready to take possession of Jericho. God gave them a divine strategy. Josh 6:2-5. They followed the instructions God gave them through his servant, Joshua. Finally, at the blast of the trumpet the seventh time, on the seventh day, the walls of Jericho fell flat.

Josh 6:20c, ………so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city.

A crucial step that we must take every time we are ready to possess a gate or dominate a sphere of influence is to make a move.

If you have been gathering and sharpening your tools, your skills— physical, spiritual, academic, financial, social— and supporting your children to do likewise, that is not the end. Identify the right strategy for each territory you are looking to possess, then make a move.

For example, if you have identified a strategy for invoking divine presence in your city center such as playing live or karaoke worship at a park. Make a move…collaborate with the people in your network (refer to previous post) and get started.

If you have identified your role in possessing the gates of education in any country. What is your strategy? Maybe stocking school libraries with good, motivational, inspirational books and Christian biographies/Christian children books. What are you still waiting for? Make that phone call or send an email to the headteacher and get started.

Are you sent to rescue the fashion industry from moral decadence. Wait on God for the right strategy and get on the job. Maybe signup as a volunteer to run an after school club with a focus on dressing. Teach children about beauty and modesty. Do some demonstrations and probably give some clothing items as gifts to the children in your group.

I pray that the blessing of God will rest upon your moves and bless our efforts to yield great results.

^“24The Lord bless you and keep you;²⁵the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;²⁶the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Num 6:24-26.

#Make a move

Taking territories by Godly relationships

Texts: Josh 1:16; Josh 2

Praise God for territories that have been conquered since the beginning of the year.

Activity 1:
As a family, take some minutes to recount your victories and give God thanks generously.
We are pressing forward to possess more territories in the second half of the year 2025. In this FBT post, we will be looking at another vital key which is ‘Godly relationships’

Joshua had people in his network that collaborated with him to possess more land by divine direction.
The people of Israel said to him in Josh 1:16- Then they answered Joshua, “Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. They pledged their commitment to support Joshua their leader making it easier for Joshua to lead them. They also reminded him of the words the Lord spoke to Joshua before-‘be strong and of good courage’ Josh 1:18b.

Activity 2:
Take a look at your social network, do you have people that can support you in achieving your set goals and vision? Ask each family member to talk about their network. You can show this on a diagram of concentric circles, listing those that are closest to you in the innermost circle.

What have you found out from this exercise? Do you connect and associate with Godly people as a family? Do your children have Godly friends that they can work with to uphold Godly standards and fulfil purpose. 2nd Cor 6:14.

Josh 2 tells us about the spies of Joshua.
Activity 3:
Tell this story to your children. Compare and contrast what the spies of Moses did (Num 13) with what the spies of Joshua accomplished (Josh 2). You can use the following sub-headings: number of spies, who chose them, what did they report, what was the reaction of the people to their report, what were the results?

Again, this story shows that with the right people around you, you can pull down ‘Jericho walls’ and possess your land of inheritance. If you surround yourself with the wrong people, you will be restricted, you may live in fear and you will not take the necessary steps at the right time.

Activity 4:
Look at your social network diagram again. Can you identify relationships that are productive and those that are not?
Are you even utilizing the Godly relationships around you as much as God intends? Find out the answers to these questions by praying and asking the Holy Spirt to search your friendships and networks. Ask Him to disconnect you from wrong relationships and help you to accept the right ones He is bringing your way. Support your children to pray about their friendships also.

Take action:
Joshua took action steps by discussing with the people of Israel and choosing spies. You must take action to utilize the Godly relationships around you.

Some suggestions:
Plan a get together to know each other more and agree on what you could do together regularly to sharpen each other’s sword. You could meet online or offline for prayer/fasting; family day trips; share what you have been learning in your bible study.

Some actions need to be taken as a family towards building Godly family relationships while each family member also needs to take action towards developing Godly relationships that are personal to them e.g your children’s friends. Support them to identify how they can utilize their network to develop their relationship with God sharpening each other’s sword.

# building Godly relationships

Worship and prayer

In the first half of this year, we have had series of family bible time posts discussing our territorial dominion.

Drawing insights from Josh 1:9, I trust God that we are increasing in strength, courage and fearlessness, abiding with God always.

We will discuss a lot more about the last bit of that verse ‘the Lord your God will be with you’. God is omnipresent, but we have a role to play in securing his divine presence.

Are you a true worshipper? John 4:24

Do you pray effectively? James 5:16

Do your children understand worship?

Do your children pray effectively?

Worship and prayer can be taught. Yes, your children can learn by observation but there is a place for active teaching too.

Activity 1: Together with your children, come up with a plan of when and how they can learn to worship effectively.

For example, Ps 134:2- Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord.

When you read a psalm during worship or sing a song, encourage your children to do the action-Lift up both hands with excitement or clap or dance or use musical instrument (you can create simple ones like shakers).

Allow your children to take turns in leading praise and worship sessions at the family altar and encourage them to practice this in their personal devotion too.

You can create a family play list using Spotify, for instance, and ensure that your children learn the lyrics of the songs. To do this, ask each family member to suggest songs that they wish to include on the list. You can suggest that they list songs that ignites their spirit to worship whenever they hear it.

Occasionally, it may be helpful to do a video recording for a few minutes during a worship or prayer session. In a relaxed family time, play the recording to allow everyone see how well they are engaging with worship or prayer.

Activity 2: Together with your children, come up with a plan of when and how they can learn to pray effectively.

Firstly, you can ask from them why they are struggling with improving their prayers. It may be because they don’t know what else to pray or they think you are praying too many times. Answer their questions using scriptures e.g 1Thess 5:17; Mark 1:35-39; Daniel 6:10

Secondly, pay attention to meditation and memorizing bible verses. For instance, you can pick a verse for the week and meditate on it every night. You may print and paste it or create small cards to help everyone to memorize the verse. Then, teach your children how to use these bible verses for effective prayer.

Thirdly, you can encourage them to a keep a gratitude list so that they don’t run out of what to say during thanksgiving prayers. Also, ask each member of the family to raise prayer requests so that you all know what to pray about using scriptures.

Fourthly, allow the children to take turns in leading prayer sessions daily.

Finally, pray that God will baptize everyone of you with the Holy Spirit. With help from the Holy Spirit, we can continue to grow deeper in worship and prayers and abide in God’s presence always.

# True worship

# I will pray

The Lord is with you

The Lord is with you Josh 1:9

Greetings to all strong, courageous and fearless families. In this FBT post, we will be discussing another important key to possessing more territories-‘The Lord your God is with you wherever you go’.

We will look at this scripture alongside the promise Jesus made to send us the HolySpirit Jn 14:16

In the old testament, the people of God were reassured of God’s presence through physical manifestations like cloud, pillar of fire, smoke etc Ex 19:9,18, Ex 13:21.

In the new testament, the same promise was given to us that God will be with us forever through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit Jn 14:16-18.

If we are to take territories as Joshua did, we must be conscious of the presence of God. We must ask ourselves some important questions.

Activity 1: Am I saved and do I have assurance that the Holy Spirit dwells in me? Ask each member of the family this question.

In previous posts about the Holy Spirit Parts 1-3, we discussed about the Holy Spirit-who He his and His role in our lives. Please refer to that post.

In the short clip, retelling the Easter story, we explained the need for baptism of the Holy Spirit following the experience of salvation that is accompanied by the Holy Spirit dwelling in us.

Now, we must pay attention to this subject-Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Yes, it is true that if you are saved, the Holy Spirit lives in you. However, the scripture establishes that believers require a baptism of the Holy Spirit evidenced by speaking in tongues.

Please read and understand the following verses:

Luke 11:13, Acts 2: 38-39, Acts 8:12-17, Acts 10:44-46, Acts 19:2-7

Activity 2: Have I received the baptism of the Holy Spirit? Ask each family member this question.

Beyond the first experience of speaking in tongues, every believer must be hungry and thirsty for more of what the Holy Spirit gives a believer.

Acts 1:8

“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.”

Let’s see some examples of what the power of the Holy Spirit can help us achieve:

It confers boldness and confidence to share the gospel (Acts 4:31),

That confidence can also be utilized at school and in the work place to make an excellent presentation for instance.

It heals all kinds of infirmities (Acts 19: 11-12). That power can also heal emotional hurt and help us deal with malice, bitterness etc

It helps to overcome negative attitudes and never miss doing the bad things that you once delighted in doing Acts 9:17,20.

Activity 3: Share with one another experiences of how the power of the Holy Spirit has helped you.

Conclusion:

Regardless of the depth you have attained in God, there is still more. Keep growing in your intimacy with God and you will conquer more territories.

Family circle:

Pray that you will grow deeper in your fellowship with the Holy Spirit in Jesus name.

#God is with you always

#Be conscious of divine presence

Recommended reading:

Study the Acts of the Apostles with your children

Tongues: Beyond the upper room By Kenneth Hagin

God’s generals for Kids By Roberts Liardon

A UNITED FAMILY

We started this year on the journey of taking territories, and we have been equipping our families with the requirements for taking territories as God instructed the Israelites in Joshua chapter 1.

We have discussed strength, courage, and obedience. We are taking further steps to consider another important requirement- UNITY.

We have established that territories are not just given, they are taken forcefully, and when an army goes to war, one important requirement for victory is unity: everyone working together and playing their part to achieve a common goal. Can two walk together except they be agreed? Amos 3:3

Where there is no unity, soldiers break ranks and make formation and tactics ineffective, giving the enemy a weak point to invade. A house that is divided against itself shall not stand Matt 12:25

Our common enemy, the devil, understands the importance of unity, that is why one of his strategy is to sow discord or disunity amongst brethren. John 10:10a

Activity 1: Discuss the importance of unity and the devil’s attempt to cause disunity using examples from Jesus’ disciples Luke 9:46, Luke 22:24 and the early church Acts 6:1-2.

The devil knows that a united family under God can achieve anything they set their heart to achieve. Tower of Babel Gen 11:5-6, Nehemiah and the building Neh 4:6, the early church Acts 5:12-14. Our Master Jesus confirmed this:

“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Matt 18:19-20

So as a family, for us to take territories, we need to add unity to our strength, courage and obedience, and according to scripture we should be united spirit, soul and body.

UNITY OF THE SPIRIT, SOUL AND BODY

Unity of spirit Eph 3:3-6: This means unity in our belief in God through Jesus Christ as well as doctrines, teachings, devotions to God and hope of eternity. The devil most times attacks this and makes the church/ family disagree in this aspect, and if he succeed in doing this, he limits what we can achieve. Remember John 10:10.

Unity of soul Acts 4:32-33, Acts 5:12-14: This reflects what we think and how we interact with the rest of our family members, what our core values are, and to what extent we are willing to go to ensure that this is in line with Christlike virtues.

Unity of body 1Cor12:12,26: Although this scripture is an analogy about the body of Christ, the use of the human body parts being different but member of one body, with each part working for the benefit of the whole body and looking out for the interest of the other parts explains the unity of the body. Each member of the family using their own talents, giftings, knowledge for the benefit of the whole family and avoiding anything that will put the family at a disadvantage.

Activity 2: Each member of the family to take turns and discuss their talents and gifts and how they can use it to foster unity in the family 1Cor12:15-26.

For instance, if one child can play the keyboard and another can play the drums, they can play both instruments together during family worship to make it more awesome.

If one child knows how to do paper craft and the other knows how to draw and make designs, they can work together sometimes to produce more beautiful crafts instead of saying ‘don’t touch my thing.’

Share in the comment section other ways of fostering unity in the family.

*If there is no unity in the army, they cannot win a battle, if there is no unity in the family, we cannot take territories.

# To strength, courage and obedience; add unity.

Obedience PART 2

In this post we will go a step further to discuss how to live in obedience to God’s word always. Remember from our last family bible time that apart from strength and courage, obedience is also an important requirement in taking territories according to Josh 1:6-7.

Talking about obedience, Paul said that the things he wanted to do, he struggles to actually do. Rom7:19

This implies that knowing the right thing to do is a step towards obedience, but having the will to do the right thing is another essential step. Sometimes we know what to do but we are not doing it because the will of God has not taken over our will. James1:22

For God’s will to take over our will, His word (which is His will) must not just be in our mouth and brains, but must settle in our heart, only then can it affect us outwardly.Prov4:20-23, Psalm119:11. Let’s call this “spiritual food digestion”.

So, lets look at the process of spiritual food digestion and compare with physical food digestion..

When we read the word of God it gives us knowledge. It tells us what to do. This is like placing food in our mouth. When we read the word over and over again and memorize it, meditate (think) on it; this process gets the word into our heart. It is only when the word gets into our heart that it can transform us and influence our will.

As physical food is to the body, so is the word of God to our Spirit. Our physical body will benefit from the food we eat when digestion has taken place and our digestive system has absorbed the nutrients in our food.

Similarly, the spiritual food (word of God) will only transform our heart when we have digested it and ensure that the word of God is written on our heart.

Activity 1: Get a picture of the digestive system showing the processes involved in the digestion and absorption of food. Explain to your child how we can digest and absorb spiritual nutrients from God’s word.

Digestion process	Physical food	Spiritual food
Starting point	Place the food in the mouth	Read the bible
	Chew the food	Read a selected verse over and over again. Memorize it.
	Swallow the food–> stomach–> intestines	Think on the verse with the help of the Holy Spirit. Absorb the word into your heart.
	Nutrients are absorbed and circulated to the system in the body in a form that is useful	The word of God in your heart is expressed in your emotion, how you feel and behave. It comes up in your thought and it influences your will.
End point	The body is nourished	The spirit is nourished. The heart is transformed ready to do God’s will

For example, Phi 4:4 says Rejoice in the Lord always;again, I say rejoice.

Step 1: Read it repeatedly and memorize it.

Step 2: Think on the key words-‘rejoice’, ‘the Lord’, ‘again.’ By the help of the Holy Spirit and discussing the verse together as a family, you understand what the word says more and more. Your joy is in the Lord, not in happenings around you, and you have joy always.

This word will come up in your thought during the day/night, it will remind you to be joyful always as your joy is in the Lord and the Lord doesn’t disappear, He’s forever alive and present with us, so our joy and rejoicing is continual.

This word will therefore be expressed in your emotion-you will feel joyful always, sadness cannot persist, you will express a joyful mood towards people around you always. Even when you feel offended or unhappy, this verse in your heart will bring you back to a state of rejoicing.

The word will influence your will. You will choose to rejoice always.

Activity 2: Now it is your turn to pick a verse and try out the steps highlighted above.

*Heart check: If the verse is in your heart, it will come up in your thought, your feelings and your choices will be guided by that verse.

Activity 3: Be intentional about engraving the scriptures on your heart and that of your child. Ps 119:24, Deut6:6-9

⁶These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. ⁷Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Your child may find it interesting to create their own scripture boards. Print or write scriptures on A4 paper and design it as you like. Then agree on where you would place them in your home-rooms, hallway, landing area etc.

You can place the paper on canvas to make it more beautiful and stick it on your wall with command strips to avoid damaging the walls or you can buy ready made scripture boards.

Family circle: Pray that the Lord will help every member of your family to hide God’s word in their hearts in Jesus name. Amen.

An obedient family

An obedient family Joshua 1:6-7

We have discussed two important keys to possessing territories: “Be strong”, ”Be courageous”. This Family Bible Time Post will focus on another essential key: “Obedience”.

In our anchor passage Joshua 1:7, the Lord instructed Joshua to be strong, courageous and obey. If we want to take territories like Joshua, we ought to be obedient too.

I want to highlight the importance of ongoing obedience, as this was something the Israelites failed to uphold. They did not convey the commandments of the Lord or the wondrous acts of God to succeeding generations.

“When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the LORD nor the work which He had done for Israel.” Judg 2:10.

What is truly astonishing is how quickly the Israelites forgot God’s acts and His commandments. Whenever a judge who knew, obeyed, and served God arose, the Israelites would win battles and find peace. However, upon the death of the judge, they would revert to their sinful ways.

This post is a call to ensure that you obey God as an individual and also instruct your children to obey God and pass it on. This is a major key to ensure that your generation is established in the land that the Lord gives you for an inheritance (An inheritance or territory may be a physical space or a domain of influence- refer to previous post, “Be strong and Courageous”).

Activity 1: Take some minutes to think about any act of disobedience as a person or as a family and repent before God truly.

Do not pretend to be completely obedient, allow the Holy Spirit to search your hearts. Ps 139:23-24. This is an opportunity for cleansing, renewal of heart and restoration.

What should we obey:

-Commandments in the bible: 2^nd Tim 3:16-17

-Specific instructions to each family member or to your family generally. Ps32:8

Remember, the disobedience of one person can lead to punishment for the whole family. For instance, Achan took for himself some of the spoil of war and brought destruction upon the entire congregation Josh 7:1; the Israelites continued to marry from foreigners and these women turned their hearts to idols 1Kg 11:2. They also desired to have a physical image to represent God like other pagan worshippers did for their gods despite God’s commandment against graven images. Judges 17

How does this apply to us today?

-If we fail to obey the instructions attached to the covenant of wealth such as tithing, then we will not receive the blessings God promised. Mal 3:10, Deu 8:18.

-If your child chooses an unbeliever friend, they will learn bad habits, desire ungodly things; and eventually bring corruption into the home 1cor 15:33.

-God commands us to fellowship with Him personally and as a family (Josh 24:15, Jer 29:13) If we fail to serve God wholeheartedly, we will miss direction and guidance. The entire family will suffer for it.

-When disobedience and disrespect thrives in a family, it causes disunity. A home that is not united can not possess territories. Mark 3:25

Refer to previous post on gates and walls.

Activity 2: Discuss examples of people in the bible who obeyed God partially or totally and see what reward they received e.g

Moses Num 20:12

Samson Judges 16:17

Saul 1^st Sam 15:15

The three wise men Matt 2:12

Naaman 2^nd King 5:10

Key messages:

Obedience must be prompt, complete and willing.
It is not enough for parents to be doing what is right, you must ensure your children are instructed to do what is right too.

Prayer:

Father, we ask that you break the yoke of disobedience and rebellion in our lives. Help us to obey all your commandments willingly in Jesus name.

A COURAGEOUS FAMILY

In our last Family Bible Time, we continued our territory conquering adventure, exploring the keys to building a strong and united family. We shall be talking about ‘a courageous family’ within the next two weeks.

In the blog post ‘Be strong and courageous’, we differentiated between being strong and being courageous, these two words are important as God emphasized them thrice while commissioning Joshua. Josh1:6,7&9.

Activity 1: Differentiate between strength and courage with biblical examples

Courage is what you use when you seem to be facing a bigger opposition , when it look like the odds are not in your favour, when it looks like the territory is impossible to possess.

God instructed/commanded Joshua to be strong and courageous to take the land promised (Vs6), obey His commands (Vs7) and to confront any opposition (Vs9)

Refer to the previous post ‘be strong and courageous’ to see biblical examples of demonstration of strength and courage.

Activity 2: Every member of the family is to recount an instance where they demonstrated courage, or an area of their life where they think they need to display courage.

Courage is the decision to proceed despite discouragement or fear. It is usually not based on our ability or strength, it is reliant on a greater force, power or help. Courage kicks in when strength seems insufficient. Below are examples of what we can rely on as the basis of our courage.

Holy Spirit. Acts 1:8, John14:16 (Amp)
God’s promises Josh1:9, Matt28:20
Past victories Josh1:5, 1Sam17:36-37
Strong fellowship (with God and godly family) Matt19:26, John15:7, Josh1:16-18

Activity 3: Discuss how each of these can be deployed to build courage.

Family circle:

Pray for each family member to gain courage, specifically in the areas identified during the discussion of Activity 2.

Pray for the help of the Holy Spirit to gain courage as a family to take territories this year.

A STRONG FAMILY

Last family bible time, we talked about being strong and courageous as a requirement for taking territories as God will have us do this year. Hope you had a productive discussion. This week, we will take a deeper dive focusing on ‘strength’.

God told Joshua to be strong and courageous as he embarks on taking territories Josh1:6-7,9, it is therefore important for us to consider what it means to be strong and how to build a strong family so we can take territories as a family. Joshua had this in mind when he said “as for me and my household…” Josh24:15b

Our text compares two men who built their house but in different ways, and they experienced different outcomes when faced with similar things Luke6:47-49

Activity 1: Discuss using the parable and the meaning, what differentiates the two men.

How strong a structure is depends mostly on what it is standing on, and the true test of strength is opposition and challenges Prov 24:10. Territories are taken, not given, and it requires strength to do so. The Israelites had to fight wars to take many lands, so it is with spiritual and physical territories Eph6:10-12

A strong family according to our text is the one that is built on God’s word and principles, it is strength from God’s principles that helps to stand strong in the face of storms. Storms will come, even Jesus experienced it; Paul also, but the solid foundation in God made them stand. MK 4:35-41, Acts 27:23-25.

How is a strong family built? Some pillars are listed below. You can add more pillars in the comment section below.

-The word of God; (reading, studying, meditating and taking action) Luke6:47-48, Dan11:32b, Josh 1:8

-Unity Ecc4:12 (how do you ensure unity as a family?)

-Love (see family bible time titled ‘Love in the family’) 1Cor16:13-14

-Waiting on God Isa 40:31 (how do you wait on God as a family? For example, scheduled fasting, family retreat)

Activity 2: Discuss each of these foundation pillars of a strong family and how your family can adopt or improve on them

Remember strength is not built by accident, it is intentional, and a family is as strong as the weakest member. Make up your mind to intentionally build strength as a family in 2025 so you can continue to take territories for God this year.

Activity 3: Each member of the Family should stand and face the rest of the family and say “I will do my part to contribute to making our family strong, I will not be a weak link”

Next Family bible time, we shall be talking about “A Courageous Family”

God bless you.

Be strong and courageous Josh 1:9

This year, the Lord is calling us to take more territories as families. There are various domains that need to be re-possessed for God. For example: education, family, government, lands and natural resources.

This post will focus on one of the essential requirements for overcoming and possessing territories-strength and courage- and serves as a guide to steer conversation on the topic.

In your family bible time, please explain the following to your children:

What does it mean to be strong and courageous?
Biblical examples of strong and courageous people and what territories they dominated
What is the importance of courage in gaining territories?

Strong means being able to withstand force, pressure or wear. Strength can be physical, spiritual, mental or financial. Strength says I have power to do it, I will go ahead.

Courage is synonymous to bravery. Courage says I will proceed in the midst of fear, doubt or opposition, by the help of God.

Activity 1: Discuss amongst yourself how strength can be developed e.g Spiritual-consistent prayer and bible study (Jos 1:8); Physical-regular exercise, balanced diet (1Tim 4:8); Mental- identity discovery in God (Jer 1:5); Financial-savings (Pr 6:6).

Discuss among yourself what it takes to be courageous. For instance, access to God’s voice (Josh 1:9), faith in God (Dan 3:16-18).

Some biblical examples:

Joshua and Caleb demonstrated courage when they gave a good report about Canaan despite seeing the giants. They were not afraid like the other spies and later on Joshua was assigned to lead the Israelites to possess Cannan. At age 80, Caleb said , give me this mountain…(Josh 14:12). Joshua and Caleb possessed many lands with the children of Israel.

Daniel was strong because of his faith in God. Dan 11:32b. He had no fear Dan 6:10. As a result, he continued to prosper in the governing council in Babylon for many generations. Daniel dominated in government in a strange country.

Activity 2: Discuss other examples-how they demonstrated strength and or courage; and what territories did they conquer?

(some answers: Samson; Gideon’s army, David and his men, three Hebrew boys, Jesus going to the cross)

Please share any other answers with other families by leaving a comment at the end of this page.

Activity 3: As you discuss the biblical examples, point out the importance of courage.

For example, Moses was not killed because his mother (Jochebed) was courageous (Ex 2:3)

Reflection:

It is time to apply what you have been discussing to your family context.

Are you slacking in taking actions to dominate your sphere of influence because of fear? For example, you know that God wants to use you to amend certain policies in your workplace, be courageous and take responsibility. When next an opportunity comes to be part of a committee, go for it.

If your child is showing interest in leadership, encourage them to apply for a position on the school council when next there’s an opportunity to do so.

Conclusion: Think about the biblical examples and be determined to take giant steps this year. Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid!

Family circle: Identify areas you have been discouraged in the past or projects you have abandoned because of fear or opposition and mention them in prayers.

Father, we believe in the word and your almightiness. We step out this year with faith and courage to take more territories for you in Jesus name.