I Made You

GOD MADE YOU IN HIS IMAGE

How did God create man? Who is man supposed to look like? Read Genesis 1:27God created everything you see on earth. He created every animal, insect, plant, bird, fish, ocean, lake, tree, flower, and everything! God loves all of His creation but He made only one thing in His image: humans. That means you are created in God’s image. Knowing that God made everything but picked only one thing to be made in His image, how special are people to God? If He made you in His image, do you think His promise that He knows you best is true?
WHAT IT MEANS TO LOOK LIKE GOD
What does it mean to be made in God’s image?
Read Ephesians 4:22-24 In verse 24, how is God’s likeness described? To be like Christ, what do you have to throw away?
God knows you best because He created you with the ability to look like Him. A mirror is a good example that explains how you are created in God’s image. A mirror is created to reflect your image, but it can only do that if you stand in front of it. Otherwise, it will reflect any image that you put before it. God created you to look like Him and His character. Since He made you, you should put Him in front of you so you can reflect Him!MEMORIZE IT.
Write out Matthew 5:16 on your mirror and memorize it this week. If you write it on your bathroom mirror, you will read it every day and it will remind you to reflect Christ in all you do. *Hint: use a dry erase marker or tape a notecard to your mirrorSIN KEEPS YOU FROM LOOKING LIKE GOD
What keeps you from looking like God’s image?
Read Romans 3:23
We are all sinners. Sin comes from choosing your own way. God knows you sin and created you in His own image to provide a way to overcome your sin. Like a mirror, your life will reflect all the things you put in front of it. If you always put what you want in front of you, you will be a reflection of someone who puts their worth into the things you have. God’s promise that He knows you best is true! Over the next few days, you will learn how God helps you reflect His image. End today writing in the mirrors below what you reflect because of your sin. (For example, you could write the word “selfish, mean, or liar.” Use the word that describes your sin.)

GOD CREATED THE WAY FOR YOU TO DEFEAT SIN!
How can you overcome your sin?
Read Romans 6:23 What do you deserve for sinning?
What does Jesus give you?
God knows you best, and did all the work for you to overcome your sin. He sent Jesus to die on the cross for your sins so that you don’t have to pay the penalty for doing bad things. Jesus gives you eternal life and… Read 2 Corinthians 5:21 What do you become because of what Jesus did? God built you to reflect His image! You have to believe in Jesus as your Savior and put Him before yourself!

REFLECT JESUS!
You are a mirror for Jesus! The world can see Him in you! If you are created to be like Him, then shouldn’t you look to Him for how to live? Pretend you are a mirror and the more you put God in front of you, the more you will reflect Him. Read Matthew 5:16. How will others see God in you? Write or draw ways you can be a light and reflect Jesus to others today. Example: being kind or giving up something to someone who may not have one.

I Know You

GOD MADE YOU
Read Psalm 139:13-14Who created you in your momma’s womb? How did God make you according to verse 14? Last week, you learned how God made you in His image. This week you are going to learn how God knows and created every detail about you. Have you ever put a puzzle together? A puzzle is made by a puzzle maker and each little piece is unique. There is no other piece in the puzzle like it. The puzzle maker had to specifically create each piece of the puzzle for a specific reason. God did the same for you. Your looks, your personality, and your strengths are how God designed you to be you. Just like a puzzle piece is wonderful and perfectly fits into the puzzle, God made you wonderfully to fit into His plan!
DID YOU KNOW?
Do you know the exact number of hairs on your head at this moment? Unless you are bald, I am sure the answer is no. The crazy thing is that God could tell you how many you have on your head right now!“and even the very hairs of your head are all numbered” Matthew 10:30
GOD KNOWS YOUR WAYS
Read Psalm 139:1-5
Does God know everything you do according to verse 2? Does God know your thoughts? Does God know your words before you say them? Do you know anyone who knows what you will do before you do it? Do you know anyone who knows your words before you say them? Do you know anyone who knows the thoughts you are thinking all the time? There is no one on earth who knows these things. Sometimes you don’t know what you are going to do and say… but God does. He knows you better than anyone else. He knows your thoughts, your words, and your actions before they even happen. How does God show you that He knows you best? If God knows you better than anyone else, should you trust what He says?
GOD KNOWS YOUR DAYS
Read Psalm 139:16
Does God know how many days you will live? Think about your favorite electronic device you like to use. The device was invented by someone and that person knows it best. They know how it was made, how much it can do, and how long it will last. That person usually writes a manual on how to use the device, and they are who you should call for help if anything breaks. God not only promises that He knows you best, He proves it by knowing everything about you. He even gives you His Word, kind of like His manual, on how to live your life the way you were created to live. Since He knows you best, you should look to Him for help.
GOD KNOWS YOUR HEART
Read 1 Chronicles 28:9
What does God search? What does God understand? God gave you your heart and He knows it well. He promises that He knows your heart and He understands your desires. He understands what you want and why you want it. Read 1 Samuel 16:7 What is important to other people? What is important to God? The world cares about what you look like, but God cares about what your heart looks like. He knows your heart and you can trust Him with all the things that you want. He might not give you everything you want, but if you keep trusting Him, your wants will change to His wants. Since He knows you best, don’t you think what He wants is better than what you want? What are some things you want?Do you trust God to take care of all the things you desire above?Ask God to take what you want and do what He wants with it. Since He knows you best and understands, it will be fun to see what He does AND how your desires change!

GOD KNOWS YOUR SIN
Read Psalm 69:5
What does God know about you? What is not hidden from God? God knows your thoughts, your ways, your days and He knows when you do wrong. Adam and Eve did wrong and tried to hide from God. But God knew they had eaten from the tree they were told not to. You can’t hide anything from God, but He knows your sin and loves you anyway! Read Romans 5:8. Write the verse in your notebook. How does God show you He loves you? God knows everything about you… good and bad… and loves you just as much.

I Have a Plan for You

GOD THE PLANNER
Read Jeremiah 29:11
What does God know about you? What are God’s plans like for you? Last week you learned how God knows you best because He carefully and wonderfully made every detail of who you are just like the puzzle maker makes every piece of a puzzle unique. A puzzle maker makes a puzzle piece with the entire picture in mind – there is not one piece made by chance. Each piece is made to fit into the bigger picture of the puzzle. The same is true for you. God made you with a specific purpose. You uniquely fit into His plan and He made you to do so. God has a plan for you that is different than any other person on earth. His plan is perfect and good and is the best thing you can do with your life.
GIVE IT A TRY!
For fun this week start a puzzle. As you put the puzzle together, think about how each piece is uniquely made to fit into the bigger picture.
GOD THE POTTER
Read Jeremiah 18:3-4
What is the potter making? How does the potter shape the pot? God uses the example of a person who makes pottery to describe how He knows you. A person who makes a bowl knows exactly what the bowl should be used for. Of course a bowl has many different uses, but all of those uses were intended by the potter. A bowl is not intended to be used as a basketball. It cannot be used to brush your hair. It also can’t be used to pack your clothes for Kamp. It seems silly to even imagine using a bowl for those things because it is clear what a potter makes pottery for. God makes it clear in His Word that He has plans for you and has made you for specific purposes. It is silly to look to other people or the world for plans because they don’t know how you are made or what you are made for.
BE THE CLAY
Read Isaiah 64:8 Who is your potter? What are you? Clay is what a potter uses to make His masterpiece and you are who God uses to make His. Read Ephesians 2:10 Who is God’s masterpiece? Does God have good things for you to do?
YOUR FLASHLIGHT
How do you know God’s plan for you? Read Psalm 119:105
God’s Word is a lamp to your ______________________. God’s Word is a light to your ______________________. Not only does God know the plan He created for your life, He gave you His Word so you could find the plan He has for you. God’s Word, the Bible, is the tool that God has given you to find His way. Finding His way is the same thing as finding your way. You would never go down a dark path without a flashlight. A flashlight or lamp only lights around the area you are walking to help you safely find your way one step at a time. The world can be a dark place because it does not know God’s plan. God gives you His Word to help you take each step of His plan for you. He knows what is best for you. As you trust His Word for each step, you will begin to see His plan for your life.
GOD KNOWS YOUR VALUE
Read Matthew 6:25-26
What should you not be worried about? Does God take care of the birds? Are you more valuable to God than His other creation? God made you valuable and knows your value, but the world will never know your true value. While others might know you are valuable for different reasons, no one will know your value like God does. You can trust He will always do things that benefit His plan. Should you worry about things if God is in control? Do you trust that God will take care of you if you are that valuable to Him?

I Know Your Value

GOD GIVES YOU YOUR STRENGTHS
Read James 1:17
What comes from above? Who lives in heaven above? Where do good gifts come from? Everything good about you is from God. He knows your value because He has given your value! Write down 5 things that you are good at and thank God for giving you those good gifts today.DID YOU KNOW?
God uses the analogy of a human body to help explain how all of His followers’ gifts fit together. A human body is created to work together. The arms need the eyes, the eyes need the brain and the brain needs the heart. Every organ in the body does a specific task, but when they all work together it makes a human body work best. Nothing on a human body would work without a head and the Bible says that Jesus is the head of His body of believers. Just like the human body, Jesus’ followers can’t function without Him. As He guides them to do their task well and work together, His people can reach their greatest potential!
GOD GIVES YOU GIFTS
Read 1 Corinthians 12:4-6
Does everyone have the same gifts? Who gives the gifts? Even though different people have different gifts, who is the one at work? Did you know that God created you with gifts? Another word for these gifts are called strengths. When God made you, He created you with specific things you are good at. The Holy Spirit makes those strengths work inside of you. Some people have the gift of teaching others. Some people have the gift of leading others. Some have the gift of giving to others. You may be young, but God already knows what you are good at. You get to put your eyes on Him and He will show you what you are good at as you grow. What are ways you can look to God to see what you are good at? If God created your strengths, do you think what He says is important for your life?
GOD KNOWS YOUR WEAKNESSES
Read 2 Corinthians 12:9
What does God give you to help you when you are weak? What power can you use when you are weak? God knows that you are not perfect. He also knows life on earth can bring tough challenges. He knows, because you are human, that there will be times when you are weak. He is there for you and will give you His strength when you are weak. If you believe in Jesus, you always have access to His strength and He will be there when you need Him. If God knows your weakness then who should you look to for strength? Has God ever given you strength when you were weak? Write about it below. If not, ask an adult about a time when God gave them strength when they were weak.
GOD HELPS YOU AVOID YOUR WEAKNESSES
Read 1 Corinthians 10:13
Does God give you any temptation that you cannot handle? What will God do for you when you are tempted? God knows you so well that He knows what you can handle. He values you so much, He promises that He will never let anything or anyone tempt you more than you can handle. With any situation that tempts you to do something wrong, you can stare up and say “Because of God, I can handle this.” God also knows what you are going through in every tempting situation, He will give you a way to avoid it. He knows how to fight every temptation you will face. Who should you look to when you are tempted to do something wrong? What are some ways God has (or can) help you to avoid temptation?

GOD KNOWS YOU
You have spent the entire month learning about how God knows you. He promises that He knows you the best. Today, write down the ways you believe that God knows you and what that means for how you live your life. GOD KNOWS ME . . . . SO I WILL:

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Don't be Afraid of Death

JESUS GIVES ETERNAL LIFE
Read Romans 6:23.
What is the gift Jesus gives you? Read John 3:16. What did God do because He loves you so much? If you believe in God, will you perish? God knows you are a sinner and is not okay with you being separated from Him. Did you know that true death is being separated from God forever? God sent Jesus to die on the cross for your sin so you don’t have to experience true death. Everyone will leave the earth someday, but you don’t have to be afraid because you are going to be with God… forever.
THROUGH JESUS, DEATH IS NO BIG DEAL
Read John 11:25.
What does Jesus call Himself? If you believe in Jesus, what will happen to you when you die on earth? Jesus did nothing wrong, lived a perfect life and died for your sins. He overcame death and rose again three days later. He did this for you. If you believe in Him, you will have eternal life. That means that when your earthly self dies, you are not really dead. You have just moved onto the next (and best) part of your life… eternal life with Jesus. The blank line is the timeline of your life. Over part 1, put “in my mommas womb.” Over part 2 put “life on earth.” Over part 3 put “Life with Jesus.”Sometimes we think of life just being life on earth when God created you to live forever. Your life is more than just on earth, You ended your time in your momma’s belly when you were born. You were just as alive, the day before you were born, inside her belly as you were outside her belly. When you were born you started your life on earth. Someday, you will end your time on earth but will be just as alive with Jesus in heaven as you are here on earth.
JESUS OVERCAME DEATH
Read 1 Peter 1:3
What do you have because Jesus rose from the dead? Why do you think Jesus’ resurrection gives you hope? Read 1 Thessalonians 4:14 “Fallen asleep” is a term the Bible uses to describe people who have died on earth. If someone believes in Jesus, who do they get to be with when they die? Death can be a scary thing because we don’t understand it. But God promises that if we believe in Him, we will overcome death just like Jesus did. Spend some time thanking Jesus for overcoming death so that we could overcome it.
DIG DEEPER
As Jesus was dying on the cross, there were two men on either side of Him also being punished. Jesus had done nothing wrong, but both men were thieves. One thief was mad at Jesus. The other thief defended Jesus because he believed in Him. Look what Jesus said to the man who believed about where he would be when he died. Read Luke 23:39- 43
YOU ARE A CITIZEN OF HEAVEN
Read Philippians 3:20
What is a citizen? If you don’t know, ask a parent or someone older than you. Where are you a citizen today? Did you know that earth is your temporary home? God meant for you to be with Him in heaven forever. Since He gives you a choice to believe in Him, His plan is for you to live on earth for a little while. Earth is a temporary home. Living on earth is like a person who is a citizen of one country but lives in another temporarily. When someone who loves Jesus dies, you don’t have to say goodbye forever. You can just say, “See ya later,” because that is what will happen. In heaven, you will get to see them again. The good news is your home in heaven is awesome. It doesn’t have sin, hurt, sickness or death… and you get to be with everyone you love… including Jesus… forever.
WHAT WILL HEAVEN BE LIKE?
Read 1 Corinthians 2:9
What does God promise that heaven will be like in this verse? Think of the coolest place you could ever imagine living. Draw a picture of it. Think about who would be there and what would be there. God promises that heaven will be a trillion times better than what you could ever imagine. If you like your life on earth, then you will hands down absolutely love heaven. Are you thankful God promises that you don’t have to be afraid of death? Write down all the reasons why.

God Lives Inside of You

THE HOLY SPIRIT LIVES IN YOU
Read 1 Corinthians 3:16-17
Who is God’s temple? Who dwells inside of you? God promises that you don’t have to be afraid because He lives inside of you. When you believe in Jesus, the Holy Spirit (God Himself) lives inside of you. In the Old Testament, God lived in a building that His people built for Him. If you wanted to be near God you had to go near the building called the temple. God loves you so much that He wanted to be closer. He made you His temple. He is with you always and goes everywhere you go. You don’t need to be afraid because if you believe in Jesus, you have God inside you always. He will go everywhere you go.
THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL TEACH YOU
Read John 14:26.
What will the Holy Spirit do for you? The Holy Spirit, who lives inside of you, is there to teach you. He is teaching right now as you are reading this sentence. He is the one who helps you understand what God’s Word is saying. Anything you learn about God comes from the Holy Spirit. You don’t need to be afraid about what to do in any situation. Just ask the Holy Spirit to help teach you what to do. It will be fun for you to see Him bring things to your memory that you have read in God’s Word before!
DIG DEEPER
Read Galatians 5:22-23
If you have the Holy Spirit inside you, your life should look like the character of the Holy Spirit. What is the character or “fruit” of the Spirit? List and circle the ones you are good at. Underline the ones you need to get better at. Don’t worry, the Holy Spirit will help you!
THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL BE WITH YOU FOREVER
Read John 14:15-16
How long is the Holy Spirit with you? What will He do for you? Once you have the Holy Spirit inside of you, He will never go away. There is nothing you can do to make Him leave. He is there for good, through the good and bad. The Holy Spirit will never stop helping you. Sometimes you might not listen to what He has to say, but that doesn’t mean He will stop. How do you listen to the Holy Spirit? Set yourself up for success by creating situations where you can listen to Him better. If you wanted to have a conversation with someone, would you go to the loudest concert ever and stand in front of the speaker? Of course not, because you know doing so would keep you from being able to listen. If you are trying to listen to the Spirit inside of you but are surrounding yourself with the junky things of the world, then you might not hear Him. Set yourself up to hear the Holy Spirit by putting yourself in situations to listen. Are any of the examples below things that will help you hear the Holy Spirit better?– Godly friends – Spending time at church/youth ministry – Kanakuk – Friends who are bad influences – Movies filled with junk – Positive music – Trashy music – Having a Godly mentor – Obeying your parents – Being involved in gossip – Reading God’s Word – Magazines – Spending all your time focusing on you – Spending all your time on the internet
THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL GIVE YOU WORDS
Read Luke 12:12
Who gives you the words to say when you need it? Have you ever been tongue tied and didn’t know what to say? God promises that He will help you say the right words when you need to say them. Maybe you are afraid to talk to a friend about Jesus. Maybe you’re afraid to say you’re sorry to a friend for being mean to them.You don’t need to be afraid because you can rely on God to give you the words to say. Read Romans 8:26 Who gives us words to pray when you don’t know how to pray? Have you ever not known how or what to pray? The Holy Spirit will help you pray to God. He knows your thoughts and your heart’s desire so when you are at a loss for words, ask the Holy Spirit to help you. Whatever comes to mind, start praying for it!
THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL GUIDE YOU
Read John 16:13
Who will guide you? Fill in the blank: The Spirit will guide you in:_____________________. You can always trust that the Holy Spirit will guide you. He wants you to choose the right thing. He wants the best for you. He will always guide you in all things that are true. If He is guiding you, it’s the right way. How do you know? What the Holy Spirit asks you to do will never go against God’s Word, the Bible. Sometimes you listen to your own sinful desires to do things your way. To do so, you block out the Holy Spirit. If you spend time reading the Bible, you will be able to “weed out” the things that are your way and pay attention to the Holy Spirit guiding you.

Nothing is Greater than God

GOD IS FOR YOU
Read Romans 8:31
Who can be against you if God is for you? God has your back. He is for you. Do your realize that you have the God of the universe on your side? You have the all-powerful, all-knowing God who is everywhere on your side. Nothing is more powerful than Him. Nothing can defeat Him. You are in good hands. Take a big sigh of relief… you don’t have to be afraid… God is on your side. Write some things down that scare you or make you feel nervous. Write down things that overwhelm you. After you have written them down, go back over them with a red pen. Write the words “God is for me.”
GOD OWNS EVERYTHING
Read Psalm 24:1
What does the Lord own? Does the Bible say that everything on earth belongs to God? Look around you. Everything you see, outside and inside, God owns. The earth outside… it’s His. Your house… it’s His. Your computer… it’s His. Your money… it’s His. God owns everything but He uses people to take care of it for Him. We are supposed to take care of His creation. We are called to take care of His money. The good news is that you don’t have to be afraid about things you need. If you truly need something, God owns everything so He is able to get it to you. You can trust Him to provide for what you need. Today, think of something you or your family needs and ask God to provide what you need. Write down what you prayed for and when He answers it, come back here and write down how. Remember, God promises to provide for what you need. He does not promise to give you all you want because sometimes what you want is not what He wants.
GOD IS THE WISEST
Read Psalm 147:5
What does this verse say about God? Fill in the blank: There is no limit to God’s _____________________. If you have a question about a certain topic, you naturally want to go to the person who is the expert on that subject for the answer. God is the expert in all things. He is the definition of wisdom. The dictionary should have put “God” by the word “wisdom” in the dictionary. You don’t have to worry or be afraid when you have a question. Ask God and you can trust that He will give you the best answer possible. You must remember that God’s ways are not our ways. Sometimes we don’t like His answer because we don’t want to do it. But if He answers, you can trust that it’s the absolute best thing to do. Read James 1:5 and memorize it today.
NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR GOD
Read Luke 1:37
What does this verse say about God? Do you trust that God can do anything? God is the one who, just by speaking, made the earth and all that is in it in 7 days. God is the one who parted the Red Sea so the nation of Israel could walk across the dry ground. God is the one who died and rose again. This is the same God who loves you and is for you. You don’t have to be afraid because nothing is impossible with God. Trust Him in big ways and ask Him big things because you can trust that God can overcome any mountain. In fact, He could move a mountain if He wanted to. Are you facing something that seems impossible right now? Ask God to do the impossible, if it’s in His plan to do it!
NOTHING CAN SEPARATE YOU FROM HIM
Read Romans 8:38-39
List all the things that cannot separate you from God’s love. If you believe in Jesus, you are super glued to God. There is nothing that can pull you apart. There is nothing that you, or anyone else can do to keep you from being with God. You might stop listening to Him but He won’t leave. He is in you and with you, and you will be with Him always. There is no need to be afraid that you will ever be separated from Him. You and God are cemented together forever!
GIVE IT A TRY!
Read Exodus 14:13-22 and draw a picture of what happened.

Don't Worry

SEEK GOD FIRST
Read Matthew 6:25-34
What should you not be anxious about? What should you seek first? God takes care of all the plants’ and animals’ needs. He loves you even more so there is no need to worry about having food and clothes. He will make sure you have what you need. When you worry, it’s easy to try to take control of what you are worrying about. When you need something, trust that He will provide what you need!
GOD CARES FOR YOU
Read 1 Peter 5:7
What can you give God? Why can you trust God for your worries? God truly cares about you. You are special to Him and He values you. If you have worries, He wants you to give them to Him. He cares for you and will give you hope. Today, write down some things you are worried about and give them to God.
PRAY ABOUT IT
How do you seek God first? How do you give God your worries? Read Philippians 4:6 Is there anything you should worry about? What should you do instead of worry? God has given you a huge tool to help you when you worry… prayer. You can talk to God and He will listen. He wants to hear your voice and help you with your worries. Your prayers don’t have to be said a certain way. Simply go in your room and have a conversation with your Good Friend… who also happens to be God. Take some time today to talk to God about the things you are worried about.
GOD TURNS LEMONS INTO LEMONADE
Read Colossians 3:23-24
What does God do for those He loves? No matter how bad or scary a situation is, God promises that He can turn any situation into good things for you. It may not be what you planned and it may be something really hard to go through, but one thing is for sure… God will make good happen from any bad thing. You just have to trust Him! Today ask your mom, dad or someone you look up to if God has ever turned a bad situation into good.
A JOYFUL HEART
Read John 14:1
What does God tell you not to do? God really cares about you. He really wants to take care of everything you worry about. It’s up to you to trust Him to do so. If you believe God is true and real, then you should trust Him to take care of you. Look at the chair you are sitting in right now. Did you worry if the chair would hold you before you sat in it? Probably not because you believe the chair is real and trusted it to hold you. If you believe in God, trusting Him is like sitting in a chair. When life brings its troubles, you give it to Him knowing that He will hold you up and take care of you.

I Will Redeem You

GOD, THE FIXER UPPER
Read Isaiah 44:22
What has God done with your sins? The word redeemed has two meanings. Those two definitions work together to give the total meaning to what God has done for you. Today, you are going to learn the first part of the definition of the word redeem. Redeem (verb): to overcome and fix faults of someone or something. This is exactly what God did for you through His Son, Jesus. You were born into sin and it is a problem in your heart. Could you imagine a heart surgeon doing surgery on their own heart? No way! The same is true for your sin. You cannot fix the problem of sin yourself. God loved you so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to live a perfect life without sin and die the death you deserve so He could fix your faulty, sinful self.
GOD’S POSSESSION
Read Titus 2:14
What did God redeem you from? Why did He do it? The second part of the definition of “redeem” also explains what God did for you through
Jesus: Redeem (verb): to gain possession of something in exchange for payment. God’s Word tells you that He saved you from lawlessness (that’s just another word for sin). He did it so you could be pure. You cannot hang out with Jesus if you are not pure because He is pure and cannot be around sin. Because of Jesus, you can be pure. He redeemed you so He could call you His own! He loves you so much and wants you to be with Him… forever.
THE EXCHANGE
Read 1 Peter 2:24
What did Jesus do for you? Fill in the blanks: “By His ___________________ you are______________________.” Yesterday, you learned the second part of the definition of the word “redeemed.” Read it again today. Redeem (verb): to gain possession of something in exchange for payment. You learned that God, by making you pure, is able to call you His own. You are His possession. Today, the verse explains that there was an “exchange” for you. When you buy something, you have to exchange money to get it. Jesus didn’t use money to purchase you, He used His own life. He had to fix you and make you pure so He paid the penalty for sin. He loves you so much that He exchanged His life so you could have true life. Your sinful heart is healed because of Jesus’ death on the cross.
GOD ADOPTED YOU
Read Galatians 4:5-7
God redeemed you so you might receive what? Fill in the blank: You are no longer a slave but a ________________________________. Fill in the blank: If you are a son, then you are also an _______________________________. What can you call God? This verse can seem really hard to understand but it’s really simple. The Ten Commandments was the law in the Old Testament, but the people had a hard time following them. In fact, it was impossible to follow the law perfectly because people are sinful. God gave them the law so they would understand that they couldn’t fix themselves. Then He sent Jesus to die for people’s sins when it was time. When you believe in Jesus, God adopts you as His son (or daughter). You become a part of God’s family because of Jesus. Sin does not control you anymore and you are God’s child! Since you are God’s child, you get His inheritance… eternal life forever!
CHILD OF GOD
Read John 1:12
If you believe in God, what right does He give you? Do you know someone who is adopted? You probably do, or you might even be adopted yourself. When a person is adopted, you do not live with your biological mom and dad. Instead, you live with the mom and dad who adopted you. In other words, you have a mom who carried you in your belly and you have a mom who carries you in her heart. Even though the adoptive parents are not the biological family of their son or daughter, they love their kiddo just like they truly are their own. The same is true for your adoptive Heavenly Father. Because you are human, and come from the family of all sinful humans, you need Jesus. If you believe in Him, He will call you son/daughter and treat you like His own!
GIVE IT A TRY!
The people of the Old Testament couldn’t obey the Law. It wasn’t because people were worse than they are today, God just used them to show that it’s not possible to be perfect on your own. The plan was always Jesus. Here is your challenge. Write down the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 and try to follow them all perfectly for 10 days. To be perfect, you can’t mess up on any of them. You can’t be jealous of someone else’s stuff, you can’t disobey your parents… not once. AND Jesus said that someone who thinks angry things towards another person is the same thing as murdering.

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Write Romans 3:23-24:

I Will Forgive You

GOD FAITHFULLY FORGIVES
Read 1 John 1:9
What is God faithful to do? What must you do? Jesus created the opportunity to forgive you by dying on the cross. Forgiveness of sins is what He gives, but you must see that you are a sinner and want God’s forgiveness. It’s like a Christmas gift at Christmas. Your mom and dad did the work to buy and wrap your gift and it is sitting under the tree. It’s yours, but you won’t experience all the fun of what it is until you open it up. You don’t have to be afraid that you have done something so bad it cannot be forgiven. If you tell God your sin and are sorry for it, He loves you and will always forgive you no matter what bad thing you have done
GOD GIVES ANOTHER WAY
Read Psalm 103:10.
What does God not do with our sins? You deserve to pay the penalty for your sin which is separation from God. But if you believe in Jesus, you don’t have to pay it. He is fair and right, and sin still has to be paid for. Because He sent His Son to die on the cross for your sins, He has given you a way out of the penalty you deserve. Imagine that you disobeyed your parents and your punishment is to do the dinner dishes every night by yourself for a week. But one of your siblings steps in and says they have already done the punishment for you, and you get to go free. That is what God’s forgiveness looks like.
GOD’S LOVE FOR YOU
Read Psalm 103:11
How high is God’s love for you? How far is He able to forgive you? The word “steadfast” means something is stable and consistent. When God says His love is steadfast, He means it will never change and it will never grow more or less. God is telling you that He loves you higher than the heavens to begin with, and His love, no matter what you do, will never grow less. Tonight, if it’s a nice night outside, sit in your backyard and look up at the stars. The closest star to the earth is the sun but after the sun, the closest star you see is 4.3 light years away. One light year is 10 trillion kilometers which is 6,213,711,899,999 miles! That is just the closest star; there are trillions of stars much farther away. We don’t know exactly where heaven is, but we know we can’t see it. God says in Psalm 103:11 that the heavens are above the earth and since we can see the stars, it’s safe to say it’s beyond them. Look up in the sky tonight and think about how much God loves you. He loves you beyond the distance of the stars. That’s a lot, and since His love is steadfast, you don’t have to be afraid because the measure of His love will never change.
THE EAST IS FROM THE WEST
Read Psalm 103:12
How far does God move your sins (transgressions) from you? If you and a friend stood back to back, one of you facing the east and one facing west, and then started walking…what would happen? You would walk apart and each step you take would be a greater distance from each other. Because the earth is round, it would be a LONG walk, but you would eventually meet up with each other. God is the God of the universe, so His east and west are different. Imagine you were in space floating back to back with a friend. One goes east and the other goes west. Each “float” would create a greater distance, and since the universe is not round, you would never meet. You would eventually be VERY far away from each other. “As far as the east is from the west” – this is how much God will separate your sins from you. Because God loves you, the wrong that you do will never be known of you because God will separate it from you… really far away.
FORGIVE ME
Read Hebrews 8:12.
What does God do? What does God forget? You never have to be afraid that God won’t love you. You never have to be afraid that God will hold a grudge for something you have done. If you are sorry for your sin, ask Him for forgiveness. He will not only forgive, but will forget. No grudges from God. He loves you to the heavens and is ready to forgive you as much as you need.

I Will Restore You

I WILL MAKE YOU CLEAN
Read Isaiah 1:18
What will God do for you? Have you ever spilled grape juice on a clean white shirt? Grape juice is almost impossible to get out of a shirt. While the stain might lighten a little, there will always be a stain. Your shirt will never be white again. It is easy to think you will be stained by sin forever, but God is telling you that He can make you clean. You don’t need to be afraid that sin will ruin your life forever. God can get the stain of sin out and will make you as white as snow. Have a parent or friend help you have some fun. Take an old white shirt and rub some grape juice on it. Let it set and dry for a few hours. Afterwards, try to wash that shirt and see if you can get it as white as it was before. When you can’t, be reminded how God can remove the impossible nasty stain of sin!
I WILL MAKE YOU NEW
Read 2 Corinthians 5:17
In Christ, what happens? What happens to the old? If you believe in Jesus, that means you have realized that you need Jesus. God gives you the opportunity to be new. Your old self was all about you giving into your sinful desires which sometimes created hurt and pain. Imagine an old toy that has been beat up and damaged through destructive use. Imagine that toy getting restored to the condition it was when you bought it at the store… brand new. That is what God will do for you. He loves you so much, He makes you new.
DIG DEEPER
Read Galatians 5:22-23.
Write the verse on a card and tape it to your mirror for a week.
I WILL GIVE YOU A NEW HEART
Read Ezekiel 36:26
What will God give you? What will God remove from you? Imagine having an actual heart of stone inside your body. You would die. Your heart pumps the blood to your entire body so it cannot be hard and unable to pump blood. Not only that, but if your stone heart could beat, you would damage all the other important organs around it. It would be like throwing rocks at your lungs 24 hours, 7 days a week! Living a sinful life is like having a heart of stone. Sin is not life giving, it’s life damaging. When you believe in Jesus, God takes away your heart of stone and gives you HIS heart. His heart gives you life and you can live forever. Today, carry around a heavy rock with you for a couple of hours. Be reminded that you don’t have to be afraid of having to be damaged by sin and carry its heavy burden. God, through Jesus, gives you a new heart that gives life.
I GIVE YOU A NEW SPIRIT
Read Psalm 51:10-12
God says He will give you a pure heart and renew what? What will sustain you? God not only gives you a new heart, but He also gives you a new spirit. Read Ephesians 1:13 When you believe in Jesus, what do you receive? The Bible says in Ephesians 2 that you have a spirit of disobedience because of your sin. Because of this spirit of disobedience, you want to satisfy all your wants and desires that are not God’s wants and desire. This disobedient spirit will hurt you. God loves you so much that He gives you a new Spirit. That Spirit is called the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is His spirit… right inside of you.
GOD RESTORES YOU
Read 1 Peter 5:10
What are the four things God will do for you after you suffer through tough times? God is a God who restores. There are many people out there who love to restore old homes. Old homes are great homes, but they have been through many years and suffered many storms. People will restore the damage to an old home, strengthen the structure of the home, and establish new modern features. When they are done they will confirm the home can once again be a good home. God will use the “storms of life” to help establish your character, strengthen your faith, and confirm to the watching world that He is able to do good things.

I Delight in You

GOD REJOICES AND SINGS
Read Zephaniah 3:17.
How is God described? What does He do for you? Fill in the blank: He will take great ________________ in you. Delight means to “take great pleasure” or “to be pleased with.” God takes great pleasure in you because He loves you. He rejoices over you with singing. Think about your favorite song. When your favorite song comes over the radio you get really excited and it brightens your day. You start singing and become really happy. You are God’s favorite song. He delights in you and is always singing over you.
GIVE IT A TRY!
Play your favorite song today and notice how it makes you happy. Now imagine God always singing over you because you are His favorite song.
PUT YOUR HOPE IN GOD
Read Psalm 147:11
What does God do for those who know, respect, and place their hope in Him? The definition of fear in this verse is not about being afraid of God, it’s about respecting and knowing Him. A person who knows God should respect who He is and place their hope in Him. God takes great pleasure in being known by you. Why? Because when you know Him, you experience who He is. He is awesome! Do you know God? Write down all the things you know about God. (Remember, you don’t have to know everything… knowing God takes a lifetime.) Do you respect God? Write down all the reasons why. How does God give YOU hope?
THE LORD UPHOLDS YOU
Read Psalm 35:27
What does God do for those who delight in Him? God delights in you because He loves you so much. He asks you to delight in Him. In other words, He wants you to take pleasure in following Him and being obedient. This means He wants you to want to do what He says. He wants you to want to be a light for Him. He wants you to want to be like Him. If you do, He promises that He will establish your steps. In other words, if you delight in God, you will be confident in who you are, how you should live your life, and what He wants you to do.
GOD MAKES STEPS FIRM
Read Psalm 37:23
Fill in the blank: The Lord delights in the ______________________________________________ of His servant. Do you trust that God is looking out for what is best for you? Why or why not? God cares about and loves you. True success is when you live for Him and love others. He will help you be who you’re meant to be with success! He wants the best things for you. You may go through tough times, but even God can use those things to make you stronger. God delights in you. He loves you and is all about what is best for you.
GOD’S GOODNESS
Read Psalm 31:19
How is God’s goodness described? What has God done with His goodness for those who take refuge in Him? Who will see God’s goodness in you? You learned that fearing God means knowing Him and respecting Him. Taking refuge in God means you go to Him for help and protection in times of danger and trouble. It’s comforting to know that God can provide protection and help when you are in trouble. It’s also comforting to know that He has good things in store for you when you run to Him during hard times! This is a promise. What are some ways you can go to God in times of trouble? Do you trust God, who promises to restore, to have good things in store when you go to Him in times of trouble?

God is With You

GOD HELPS YOU HELP OTHERS
Read Matthew 28:19-20
What does God ask you to do? What does He tell you at the end of verse 20? Jesus told this to His disciples before He the left earth and the same is true for you. God wants you to teach others about Jesus. He wants you to do this through your actions and words. The best way to teach someone to obey God’s Word is to show them. This task probably seemed scary to Jesus’ disciples. Does it seem scary to you? They didn’t have to be nervous and neither do you because Jesus reminded them that He would be with them always. God is there to help you do what He asks… always.
GOD IS THERE TO LEAN ON
Read Proverbs 3:5-6
What does God ask you to do? What should you not lean on? What does He promise to do for you if you trust in Him? God is promising that if you lean on Him for what to do instead of yourself, He will show you the right way. You can’t lean on someone who is not there. This verse shows that God is promising He will be there to lean on. How can you lean on God for what to do? Can you think of something specific that you need to lean on God for instead of yourself? What is it?
GOD GIVES YOU STRENGTH
Read Philippians 4:13
What does this verse say you can do? Who gives you strength? God promises that He will strengthen you to do anything you need to do. To strengthen you to do all things, He has to be with you. The all-powerful God is right by your side and He will use His power to give you strength. Are any of these ways you can get strength from God?
His Holy Spirit guiding you
Encouraging words from His people His Word
Prayer Knowing His promises
List other ways you can get strength from God:
GOD GOES EVERYWHERE YOU GO
Read Joshua 1:9
What does God tell you to be? What reason does God give you to be these things? Joshua was a guy who had been given mighty tasks from God. He had to be strong and courageous as He led the people of Israel to take back their land. God told Joshua that he didn’t have to be afraid because He would be with him and the people of Israel. The Lord may ask you to do a mighty task for Him. Remember, nothing is impossible for God and He is right by your side…wherever you go. How do these words give you encouragement as you live your life today? Do you believe that God is right by your side?
GOD IS INSIDE YOU
Read 1 Corinthians 3:16
What does God call you? Who dwells within you? In the Old Testament, God lived in a building called the temple. It was fine for a little while but He wanted to be closer to His people. So, He sent His Son to die on the cross for your sins. Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead. If you believe this, the Holy Spirit starts living inside you. The Holy Spirit is God Himself inside of you. How does God go with you everywhere? Easy, He lives right inside of you! DID YOU KNOW? The Holy Spirit is sometimes hard to understand, but take a look at a lamp in your room. The lamp has wiring inside of it but the wiring won’t work unless the lamp is plugged into electricity. When it’s plugged in, the electricity flows and shines bright. When you “plug into Jesus” by believing in Him as your Savior, you get the Holy Spirit. You have been “wired” for Him to live in you. He gives you the power to be a light for the Lord!

God is With You in Tough Times

GOD IS AT WORK IN HARD TIMES
Read Romans 5:3-4.
What are the three things suffering produces? Read Romans 8:28. What does God do? God is at work during hard times. No one likes to go through tough situations, but you can trust that God is with you doing good things in the midst of a hard time. He will strengthen your character. Hard times give you perseverance and a stronger faith. When your faith grows stronger you will see the hope God gives you even more and you will be ready to face the next challenge life brings. He works all things, even the bad, for the good of those who love Him… that’s YOU!
GOD WILL HELP YOU
Read Isaiah 41:10
Why should you not fear? What are the three things God will do for you? Life can have some crazy challenges, but God promises that He will strengthen you and help you. He will even hold you up with His hand. Here’s the good news: since God is righteous (meaning His ways are right), you can trust that if He is holding you up, you have nothing to worry about. Explain a time when God has helped you and write about it. (Examples: Maybe God taught you something in His Word, or maybe He used one of His people to give you advice.)
GOD FIGHTS FOR YOU
Read Exodus 14:14
What will the Lord do for you? What is the only thing you must do? If God asks you to fight a battle, He will fight right alongside you. God is with you and will fight for you. When life takes a turn for the worse, don’t get discouraged. You have a fighter on your side. He might do things differently than you would, but the good news is that He always wins, and it benefits everyone… including you!
DIG DEEPER
Read Joshua 6:1-21.
See how God literally fought the battle against Jericho in the Old Testament. Israel obeyed God’s instructions and the walls came tumbling down!
GOD HELPS YOU OVERCOME THE WORLD
Read John 16:33
What can God give you? What does He tell you will happen when you live in the world? Why should you not be discouraged? There is no avoiding it… you will have some trouble during your life on earth. Life has its ups and downs, but when life has you down, you can keep your head up because God promises to be with you. In fact, He does more than just be with you. God has overcome the world. Jesus, God Himself, came into the world and didn’t sin one time… not once. The world, and all its temptations could not tempt Him. He defeated the one thing everyone is scared of… death. This is the God you have with you always. He lived in the world without sin and He defeated death. He is there to help YOU overcome the world while you live in it. And when it’s time for you to leave the earth; you will defeat death by living forever in eternity. Here are a few ways God can help you overcome the world while you live in it: Are there any you want to try this week? – Turn the other cheek – Be kind – Be slow to anger – Watch your words – Do not gossip. What are some other ways you can overcome the world?

DIG DEEPER
Read Mark 4:35-41
See how Jesus calmed the storm when He was on the boat with His disciples.
GOD IS WITH YOU WHEN YOU ARE TEMPTED
Read 1 Corinthians 10:13
Fill in the Blank: God will not let you be ______________ beyond what you can endure. When you are tempted what will God do for you? Temptation is a daily thing. God promises that He will give you a way out every time you are tempted. To do this, He has to be with you. Temptations are challenging in life. It isn’t easy to walk away from the temptation to do something you know is wrong. God promises He won’t allow anything to tempt you that you cannot handle. He also promises to be with you and give you a way out a way to choose the right thing. Here are examples of how God gives you a way out: – Advice from a Godly friend or mentor – Guidance from your mom or dad – God’s Word – The Holy Spirit (The small voice in your head saying you shouldn’t”is the Holy Spirit) Sometimes God puts obstacles in the way to keep you from sinning…Thanks, God! Are there any other ways God can give you a way out of temptation?

I Will Comfort You

GOD GIVES YOU HOPE
Read Psalm 119:50
What can comfort you? What can God’s promises give? A promise is when someone makes a statement that they will do a particular thing or that a specific thing will happen. When someone makes a promise and keeps it, you start to trust them. The next time that person makes you a promise, you will trust them. If the person is always faithful to do what he or she says, then you will have hope. Hope is when you expect or want something to happen. God is always faithful to make His promises come true. If you watch Him work, you will see them come true. As you watch God faithfully do what He promises, you will start to have hope in all situations, especially the bad ones. The hope God provides can help you get through something tough. Here are examples of how God gives hope: – You have a family member that is sick. God promises that He is in control. This gives you hope that no matter what happens, God will make it a good situation. – God promises you good things. You can hope that a bad situation will turn to good. Can you think of any other ways God gives you hope that comforts you in bad situations?
GOD COMFORTS YOU WHEN YOU FACE DEATH
Read Psalm 23:4
Does God comfort you when you face death? You hopefully have a lot of life left to live, but it’s good for you to know now that God will give you comfort in life and in death. There are many people who die every day. In Christ, there is no need to be scared of death. He has overcome it and when you believe in Him, death just means leaving the earth. Knowing this truth will comfort you when you go through the death of a family member or friend. It will also comfort you when you are facing death. Remember, those who believe in Jesus don’t die. They just move to heaven. Are you comforted knowing God has given you a way to overcome death?
GOD COMFORTS YOU WHEN YOU ARE HURT
Read 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
What does God do for us when we hurt? What can we do for others? God promises that He will give you comfort when you are hurt. You learned last week that you can trust God to turn bad things into good things. This alone can give you comfort. He also will give you comfort when you experience hard times through His Word, good friends, His promises, and just knowing that He is there. After you have gone through something hard, God will give you the opportunity to help comfort others. What ways has God given you comfort? How can you comfort another in the same way God comforted you? Is there someone in your life who you can comfort today?
GOD IS YOUR REFUGE
Read Psalm 9:9
Who is the Lord a refuge for? How is God described in times of trouble? A stronghold is a place built to protect people under attack. An example of a stronghold is a tornado shelter. If you have a tornado shelter, you would take refuge in it when a tornado attacks. God is telling you that He is your stronghold. He is able to protect you from any attack life may bring. You have a place to run to when you are burdened with tough stuff. Attacks are meant to damage a person. A stronghold doesn’t necessarily prevent the attacks from happening, but it will protect you from being damaged. When life attacks, God is there as a refuge and WILL protect you from damage that hurts your soul and character. What are some ways God can be your refuge in tough times?
YOU CAN TALK TO GOD
Read Philippians 4:6-7
What should you not do? What should you do instead? What does God give you when you pray to Him? God has given you a great tool for comfort… prayer. When you have worries, you can easily be comforted when you give it to God. There is no fancy way to do it, just go in your room, close the door and have a conversation with God about what is going on. Having peace is having freedom from things that disturb and destroy you. When you give things to God through prayer, you will have freedom from your worry and your tough situation because you will trust that God has it under control! Pray for a tough situation today. After praying, write how God has given you comfort.

I Will Listen To You

GOD’S EARS ARE WORKING
Read Psalm 34:15
Who are God’s ears attentive to? If you believe in Jesus, God has given you His righteousness. Read 2 Corinthians 5:21 How did Jesus give you God’s righteousness? God says He listens to the righteous. He hears you when you cry out to Him because He is with you. How are you comforted knowing that God hears you?
HOW GOD HEARS YOU
Read 1 John 5:14
Fill in the blanks: If we ask anything according to God’s _________, then He will ______________ us. God is listening and waiting to give you an answer. He is there and promises that if you ask Him for the things He wants, then He will hear you. But how do you know what God wants? You set your eyes on Him and start learning about what He wants as you continue to read His Word.
GOD LISTENS ALWAYS
Read 1 Thessalonians 5:17
What does God ask you to do? Read Psalm 145:18 Who is God near to? Is God there for you when you pray to Him? God is near and with you, so you should always be in conversation with Him. Tell Him about your day. Tell Him about your troubles. Tell Him about what you need and trust Him with the things you want. God is listening. He might not answer the way you thought He should. He promises that He knows you best so you can trust that God will answer in the best way for you and for everyone else.
GOD LISTENS WHEN YOU CONFESS YOUR SINS
Read 1 John 1:9
What is God faithful to do when someone confesses their sins? God will listen to anyone who confesses their sins to Him. He wants to forgive anyone who wants forgiveness. God is working in all people so they can know Him. He is there and will hear anyone who confesses their sin and is truly sorry for what they have done. Do you have sin that you need to confess? If so, God is listening and ready to forgive!
GOD LISTENS WHEN YOU ASK FOR WISDOM
Read James 1:5
What does God give when He is asked? Does He give a little or a lot? God is there for you and knows that you need wisdom. He is ready to listen to your request for wisdom and willing to give you as much as you need. In life, you will have lots of situations where you will need more wisdom. Isn’t it comforting to know that God is there for you to give you the wisdom you need? Do you need wisdom for a situation today? What is it? Spend some time asking God for the wisdom you need… He is there and listening!
DIG DEEPER
Read 2 Chronicles 1:7-12.
See how King Solomon asked for wisdom. What did Solomon ask for? Did God give Him wisdom? Did Solomon ask for what God wanted or for earthly things?

I Am Everywhere

GOD GOES WITH EVERYONE EVERYWHERE
Read Psalm 139:7-10
List places the Bible says God is. Does God go where you go? Is this verse true for everyone? Is there anywhere His hand won’t guide you? God is everywhere. He is with you, He is with your neighbor, He is across the country, and He is across the world. It is hard for you to understand because you can’t be everywhere, but God is much bigger than humans. He CAN be everywhere. You can trust that there is nowhere on earth you will go that He will not be there! How does it encourage you by knowing God is everywhere?
YOU CAN’T HIDE FROM GOD
Read Jeremiah 23:23-24
Fill in the blanks: God fills _______________________ and _______________________ . Is there anywhere you can go to hide from God? Does God see you? You can hide from other people, but you cannot hide from God. He can see you wherever you go. Since you can hide from other people and YOU can’t see God, it’s easy to think God won’t know what you are doing. This is not true. He sees the good and bad and still loves you. He loves you too much to leave the bad in you. He will do everything He can to let you understand that your wrong actions are hurtful to yourself and others. He can see what you need to do to change. Remember, Jesus gave you the opportunity to be new because He died for your sins. There is no need to hide from God. He sees you and can help you!
GIVE IT A TRY!
Have you ever read the book “Where’s Waldo” by Martin Handford? If not, it’s a fun book where you find a guy named “Waldo” in a picture. The book is funny because you feel like Waldo is everywhere. You find him at the beach, in the city, and on a farm. Your challenge is to start a journal and title it “Where’s God” by (insert your name). As you walk through life, write out all the crazy places you find God at work! It will be neat to go back through it and see how God is everywhere.
GOD’S IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH
Read Deuteronomy 4:39
Where are the two places that God is? Is there anyone else who can do this? God can be in more than one place at a time. Think back to everything you learned about Him at Kanakuk. You can see Him just as clearly right now where you are sitting (or standing)! He is there and can help you grow where you are. What’s even cooler is that He is in heaven at the same time too! That means God is hanging out with all the believers who have left the earth to go to heaven and be with Him! Remember, God wants us to have faith in Him. Have faith that God is everywhere! How does it encourage you that God is with you today as much as He was with you this summer at Kanakuk?
THE EARTH IS FULL OF GOD’S GLORY
Read Isaiah 6:3
What is the entire earth filled with? The word “glory” is used a lot in the Bible. Glory is something of high honor, something of absolute beauty and majesty. You can see something or someone’s glory in the things they do. God’s glory is the highest glory. He has the highest honor. He is the greatest good. He is the most beautiful thing. He is all the things without doing anything, BUT you can see His glory in the things that He does. The Bible says God’s glory fills the earth and you can see it clearly in all the things that He has done. What are some other ways you can see God’s glory in the earth?
How does God show His glory by the things He has done in you?
GOD SEES THE GOOD AND THE BAD
Read Proverbs 15:3
Where are the eyes of the Lord? Who does the Lord watch? God is watching the good and the wicked at the same time. We don’t understand how He can do this because we don’t have the same ability. Imagine you are at a parade and watch each float as it goes by. When a float passes, you can only see one side of it. You can’t see what is going on from the other side of the parade. You see the beginning of the parade when it comes and you will see the end a little bit later. God’s view of the parade would be different. He can see every float and every side at the same time. He can also see everyone who is watching the parade. It is important to know that God can see what all people are doing at the same time. He can use any situation to work His plan for His people!

I Am All Powerful

GOD IS THE MIGHTIEST
Read Psalm 147:5
How is the Lord described in this verse? God is the mightiest of the mighty. His power is the most powerful and He uses it for you! Today, think about how God created the earth in seven days by just speaking the words and draw a picture of it.
THE ULTIMATE SUPER HERO
Read Job 9:4
How is God’s power described? Does anyone who is against God succeed? The definition of the word “vast” is a fancy way to say HUGE! God’s power is so great that no one who goes against Him will succeed. Have you ever seen a superhero movie? What’s great about superhero movies is that no one can defeat the superhero. The superhero has epic battles and sometimes looks like he is losing, but everything that happens typically makes him more powerful. God is the ultimate superhero. To the world, it probably looked like God lost the battle when Jesus died on the cross. But the cross is what won the battle over sin and Satan! There is no power or force that can defeat God. He will always win. God now wants to help you fight your battles. Don’t you want the God who never loses fighting for you? What battle can God help you fight today? Are you going to fight battles God’s way or your way? If God never loses, should you ever be against Him? Read and memorize 2 Corinthians 12:9. Always remember the promise that God’s power can make your weakness strong!
GOD DOES THE IMPOSSIBLE
Read Matthew 19:26
What is the difference between man and God? It is easy to run to people and the ways of the world for help because they are right there in front of you. It takes effort, patience, and faith to ask God for help – but it is worth it! When you ask for help, what can happen is limitless. That means you will see God do the impossible in you and around you. Read Job 42:2 Is there anything that God can’t do? Can anyone stop God from what He has planned?
THE POWER TRIO
Read Jeremiah 10:12
What did God do with His power? What did God do with His wisdom? What did God do with His understanding? God is more than just powerful with His might. He is powerful with His wisdom and understanding. He is the wisest and understands everything. No one on earth could ever claim to be the wisest or understand everything. With all three, He was able to plan all of history and eternity and create the earth and the universe… including heaven. No one or any other god that people worship can do this. They may claim to, but God is the only one who has given evidence that He did! You get to spend a lifetime seeing His proof!
EVERYTHING’S EASY TO GOD
Read Jeremiah 32:17.
Is anything hard for God? Have you ever watched a professional sports game where the athletes make playing the game look easy? Those athletes do things on the court or field that make them good. God is good at what He does. There is no one better and nothing is too hard for Him. This is a promise that can encourage you when you know that God is on your side. Do you believe in the God who rose from the dead? If you do, that same power is at work in you! Do you believe that God is the most powerful of all time? How can you trust God?

I Am Compassionate

GOD IS COMPASSIONATE
Read Psalm 103:8.
How is the Lord described in this verse? You can see His compassion in His grace. His desire is to give people what they don’t deserve. You can experience His compassion in how He gives you grace. He could punish you eternally for your sins, but instead He is slow to anger and gave His own Son to die on the cross so you can have life. His love is overflowing with compassion. Have you experienced God’s compassionate grace?
EXAMPLE OF GOD’S COMPASSION
Read Psalms 116:5 What is God full of? God truly is a compassionate God. Today you are going to read a story about how He had compassion on some people in the Bible. Read Matthew 14:13-21 How did God show His compassion for the people who came to see Him? How did God provide for the people who came to Him?
A COMPASSIONATE FATHER
Read Psalm 103:13
What analogy does this verse use to describe your Heavenly Father? Fathers are supposed to have compassion for their kids and protect them. Fathers love to be around their children. If you have a father like this, you have a small example of how your Heavenly Father is compassionate towards you. If you don’t, then you can be encouraged to know that God is your compassionate Father. He is concerned with your wants and needs. He will take care of and protect you. Write a thank you note to your earthly dad (or another person in your life) and thank him for being an example of God’s compassion towards you.
GOD CARES FOR THOSE WHO HURT
Read Luke 12:24
Who does God comfort? Who does God give compassion to? God cares about the needs of His people. He knows how and when someone is hurt and He will help. What about you? Do you have compassion for people? Who are some people that you need to show compassion towards? How can you have compassion for people at your school today? What about people in your family? Don’t just think about it and write it on paper… go do it!
DIG DEEPER
Read Luke 10:30-37.
This is an example of how a man showed God’s compassion to others. Write what you learn about being compassionate.

GOD’S COMPASSION DOES NOT STOP
What does the Bible say about God’s compassion? There is no limit to God’s compassion. It will never run out. This is not true for people. People can be (and should be) compassionate, but when life hits hard or a person gets distracted, sometimes their compassion runs out. You can always trust God’s promise that His compassion will not run out. He will not get distracted from you. You are His true love and He is compassionate always. Memorize and write out Lamentations 3:22. Put it where you will be reminded of it always.

I Am True

JESUS ANSWERED
Read John 14:6
Fill in the Blanks: “I am the _________ the _________ and the _________ . Does God claim to be truth? The longer you live on earth, you will see that the world will support many different truths. All of them will not go together. You need to know that God promises that He is the only thing that is true and He proves it to you. You can trust that God is true and if you are following Him, you are doing the only thing that is real and true.
GOD’S WORD STAND’S OUT
Read Deuteronomy 32:4
Do you believe that in every situation God will do good things? DIG DEEPER Read 2 Timothy 3:16-17. What is God’s Word useful for? Have you experienced any of these things? What does God’s Word prepare you for?
GOD’S WORD STANDS OUT
Read John 17:17
How is God’s Word described? The word “sanctify” is a fancy way of saying “stand out.” God’s Word makes you stand out when you follow it because it’s the only thing that is true. God’s Word has been spoken and written for thousands of years and nothing has been able to successfully prove it wrong. Did you know there are thousands of prophecies in the Bible, spoken hundreds of years before the event, which have come true? Did you know there are about 40 authors of the Bible? All of them lived in different times, cultures and places. Most of them never even met or talked to each other, yet their messages fit together perfectly to tell the same story. Do you know how? The Bible is God’s Word and it’s true. God has proven that through the history of the world and He wants to prove it in you. What is one thing you learned today?
GOD’S WORD LASTS BECAUSE IT IS TRUE
Read Isaiah 40:8
What withers and fades away? What stands forever? God uses the analogy of plants to describe how quickly the things of the world will fade away and wither. The only thing that endures is God’s Word. Why? Because God’s Word is truth. Think of all the things of the world. Make a list of all the things that are temporary, and will fade away. Here are a few examples to get your mind going: Your favorite t-shirt – it’s new now, but it will be old soon. Your favorite electronic device – something new will come out and you will move on. The national championship sports team – the title will move to someone else. If God’s Word is the only thing that lasts, do you spend enough time reading God’s Word? Is there any temporary thing that is keeping you from reading God’s Word?
EVERY WORD WILL COME TRUE
Read Matthew 5:18
The Bible uses the word “Law” for God’s Word sometimes. What does this verse say about God’s Word? Will everything happen that God’s Word says will happen? God promises that He is true. He promises that His word is true. In fact, He confidently promises that every little stroke of letter written will come true. In other words, God is going to “dot His I’s” and “cross His T’s. You can trust that everything said in the Bible will come true. This is great news because it means He will faithfully make all the promises you are learning happen for you! Do you believe that every word of God is true? Do you believe that every word of God will come true? If God’s Word is all true, then how important should the Bible be to you?

God is Faithful

GOD IS FAITHFUL
Read Deuteronomy 7:9
How is God described? How long has God been faithful? Do you believe God is faithful? Make a list of words that describe what it means to be faithful.
GOD HAS TO BE FAITHFUL
Read Matthew 16:24
What happens even if you or others are faithless? Why is God always faithful? The truth is that God was faithful before the world was created. Why? Because faithful is who He is. He cannot be anything He is not. Just like a frog can’t be a dog. A human can’t be a fish. A car cannot be a plane. God absolutely cannot be unfaithful. When you or anyone else doesn’t have faith in God, He will always remain faithful to you. Do you understand what this means? God will faithfully make all these promises you’ve been learning about come true. What He says will happen whether you have faith in Him or not!
GOD IS RIGHT
Read Psalm 33:4
How are God’s Words described? Why are God’s Words right and true? Many arguments happen because someone wants to be right. Scientists spend a lifetime confirming that their words, said because of their experiments, are true. God has already proven time and time again that His words are true and faithful! Do you believe that God’s Words are right? Do you listen to them and obey them?
GIVE IT A TRY!
If you love God and get to see His faithfulness, shouldn’t you be faithful to your words? If you are faithful to other people, they will trust you and are more likely to trust you when you share Jesus with them. In other words, God can use your faithfulness to show His faithfulness to someone else.

How can you be faithful with your words:
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How can you be faithful to others:
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GOD’S NOT A LIAR
Read Numbers 23:19
Does God lie? Does God change His mind? A lie is the thing that can break trust. If someone makes a promise and doesn’t follow through with that promise, that person’s promise turns into a lie. God does not lie, He has never lied and never will. His plan is true, His promises are true and He will not change it. You can trust Him with everything. List all the things that you trust God with. What are things you could trust God to take care of that you don’t trust Him with already?
GOD’S FAITHFULNESS IS GREAT
Read Lamentations 3:22-23
Fill in the blank: ___________ is your faithfulness A few weeks ago, you memorized Lamentations 3:22. Write out both verses and memorize 22 and 23 together. God is faithful. It’s a promise that is true… because He is faithful. Remember this verse throughout your life and you will see God and get to experience all the good things He has to offer!

God is Fair

GOD DOES NOT PLAY FAVORITES
Read Romans 2:11.
What does God not do? Have you ever played favorites? Have you ever been on the wrong side of someone else playing favorites (meaning you were not someone’s favorite)? Did it hurt you or discourage you to not be another’s favorite? God does not play favorites. He loves everyone just the same. If you know someone that has a stronger faith than you do, it’s not because he or she is God’s favorite. God does not love that person more. It’s because that person has made God their favorite. God loves you the same and He deserves to be your favorite. He will not play favorites with anyone, but you should play favorites with Him.
GIVE IT A TRY!
Read Matthew 6:33
What should you seek first? What will happen if you do? This is why the “I’m Third” life works. God first, others second and yourself third. If you put God first, the other two will fall into place.
GOD DISCIPLINES HIS KIDS
Read Hebrews 12:7
What does God do when you do wrong? Should a father discipline his child? God is fair, He doesn’t play favorites and when you sin He will punish you. Just because you are His child doesn’t mean you can avoid getting punished for doing wrong. He does this because He loves you! Your dad disciplines you because it is what you deserve AND more importantly, it teaches you to do what is right. God disciplines you because He is fair, and in His fairness, He is giving you the opportunity to learn to do what is right. What are some lessons you have learned from being disciplined? Are you thankful that God wants you to do what is good and right?
GOD IS A FAIR JUDGE
Read Psalm 11:7
How is the Lord described? What does God love? In America, we have what is called the justice system. It’s filled with lawyers and judges whose job is to make sure decisions are made that are just. Just decisions are decisions that go along with what is true and what the law says. If someone breaks the law, a judge decides, based on truth, if the person is guilty or innocent. God knows the law because He wrote it. He knows what is true because He is the definition of truth. He is able to be a fair judge because He knows the truth. You can trust any decision that God makes is fair because He loves to be fair.
LET GOD TAKE REVENGE
Read 2 Thessalonians 1:6
What will God do to those who trouble you? You must know that God will pay back trouble to those who trouble you. This is a promise. This is important for you to trust God and only God to pay back those who wrong you. He will do it in His own timing and you might not get to be around to see it when He does. It’s in your human nature to get revenge, but God doesn’t want you to because you are not fair. Remember, He can use the punishment to change someone’s heart to love Him. If a follower of Jesus wrongs you, God can discipline them to be more faithful to Him and others! God is control, that is a promise and God will not ignore wrong doing. Trust Him to deal with it in His way and in His timing! What are some ways you can react to someone who wrongs you instead of revenge?
WE ARE ONE IN JESUS
Read Galatians 2:28
If you believe in and follow Jesus, how are you seen in the eyes of God? If you are “one” in Christ Jesus, how should you treat others? Just as God is a fair God, we are called to be like Him in every way, including that! Do you think of yourself better than others based on your family, friends, or abilities? Those who belong to Jesus are all one in His sight! How can you do a better job of seeing and treating others with the fairness of God?

God is in Control

HE’S GOT THE WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS
Read Job 12:10
What is in God’s hands? Is God in charge of every animal, bird, insect and human? There is no life that God is not in charge of. God is in control of every being that lives here. We are not His robots and He is not a God who treats people and animals like puppets. You have been reading for the past 5 months about all His wonderful promises He has made you and all people. He is a GOOD God and it is a GOOD thing that He is in control. If He was not in control of your life, He would not be able to promise you this promise: Read Jeremiah 29:11 What does God know? What are God’s plans for your life like? Are you thankful God is in control of your life?
GOD RULES OVER EVERY RULER
Read 2 Chronicles 20:6
Is there any other God besides God? What does God rule over? God is in control of every nation and every king even though there are rulers who do evil things. God is a powerful God, but remember that you have learned He is also loving and patient. He is not a God who will force people to follow Him. It must be your choice. Those evil leaders and kingdoms have not chosen to serve Him, so God is allowing them to live and lead based on their choice to do things their own way. The crazy thing is that God is still in control. No matter what they do, good or evil, God will use all nations and leaders to make His plan happen. Read Job 42:2. Can anyone stop God?
DID YOU KNOW?
Every Easter we celebrate Jesus riding in on the donkey on Palm Sunday. We call it Palm Sunday because the people laid palm branches down for Jesus to ride over. Every time you see a Palm tree, you can think of Jesus going to Jerusalem to die on a cross for your sins.
GOD GIVES A LEADER LEADERSHIP
Read Romans 13:1
Who establishes an authority? Why should you obey your authorities? God puts every one in authority in a position for a reason. No one is in any position because of their own abilities. This can give you comfort and hope for any leader that no matter their choices, God is using them to make His great plan happen. This is true for leaders of nations AND leaders around you. You might not have voted for the person who was elected brave or princess at Kamp, or you might not like who your coach chose to be the captain of your sports team. But remember, God asks you to respect any leader because He put them there for a reason. Most importantly, God has put your parents as your authority for a reason. He is using your parents to grow you into a person of strong faith. He can do this with parents who believe in Him and parents who do not. If you are disobedient to them, just like the verse says, you are being disobedient to God.
GOD IS IN CONTROL
Read Hebrews 2:8
Is there anything that is “over” God? Is there anything that is outside of His control? God is in control. The Bible sometimes uses big words like “subjection.” This word has a simple definition. It means that God is over all things. All things are under His control. You don’t have to worry when something happens. There is nothing that happens that God doesn’t know about. There is nothing that surprises God. Evil and sin are not His fault…and sometimes it’s easy to point our finger at Him because He is in control. Evil and sin are the fault of humans. Remember, He is patient and wants everyone to know Him. He is merciful because He longs to hang out with His creation. In all situations, you can trust that God is at work for the good of those who love Him!
GOD’S IN CONTROL OF THE KEYS
Read Revelation 1:18
Jesus was dead but now He is what?
What does God have the keys to? If you have the keys to your house, then you are in control of who goes in your home. God says that He has the keys to death and eternity. You are old enough to start to learn that there are two kinds of eternal life and your decision of who you follow on earth determines where you will be for eternity. You can be with God forever in heaven or you can be apart from Him in Hell. Many people use this fact to scare you. God doesn’t do this. Instead of scaring you into making a decision to follow Him, He makes tons of promises to show you how great He is! He wants you to experience the good things of following Him now and in eternity. The good news is God is in control of eternity! He was dead but now is alive. Because He is the only one to rise from the dead and NEVER die again, He has the keys.

God is Patient

GOD IS FAITHFULLY PATIENT
Read Exodus 34:6.
How is God described in this verse? This verse describes a merciful God. God is slow to anger. Did you know that God has the right to judge people? Unlike you, He has the right because He is holy, perfect and there is no sin in Him. He is the only one in the universe that judges the right and fair way. He could punish sin anytime He wants to. He could have punished Adam and Eve immediately by making them separated from Him forever. He didn’t because God is slow to anger. He loves you and is faithful to show you who He is and allow you to see Him! Are you glad God is patient with you when you sin? Are you patient with others?
GOD DOESN’T WANT ANYONE TO PERISH
Read 2 Peter 3:9
Why is God slow to anger? What does God want for everyone? What does God NOT want to happen to anyone? God does not take pleasure in people who are wicked. It hurts His heart to see anyone live apart from Him forever. He is patient so that people will realize their sin and need for a Savior. He gives each person on earth plenty of opportunities to know God and be sorry for how they wrong Him. He is patient to punish evil because He does not want anyone to perish. If you get frustrated with someone who does evil things and are wondering why God doesn’t do something about it, you can know that God is keeping His promise to all people by being patient with them to do what is right and call Him Savior! Are you thankful that God was patient with you when you were a sinner?
GIVE IT A TRY!
Have you ever read the book “Where’s Waldo” by Martin Handford? If not, it’s a fun book where you find a guy named “Waldo” in a picture. The book is funny because you feel like Waldo is everywhere. You find him at the beach, in the city, and on a farm. Your challenge is to start a journal and title it “Where’s God” by (insert your name). As you walk through life, write out all the crazy places you find God at work! It will be neat to go back through it and see how God is everywhere.
GOD IS MERCIFUL… ALWAYS
Read Psalm 78:38
What did God do to people who were disobedient to Him in the Old Testament? Did God forgive people? Was God merciful? What did God restrain? Time and time again in the Old Testament, people disobeyed God and were evil. He was patient and showed them mercy. Mercy is not getting what you DO deserve. If you deserve punishment but you don’t get it, you have received mercy. You can’t be merciful without being patient. God is just as merciful to you today because He wants you to be more like Him. Have you ever experienced mercy by not getting what you deserve? Were you glad the person was patient with you? You make mistakes and wrong God every day. Are you glad He is willing to forgive and give you mercy every day?
THINK ABOUT IT
Mercy: (n) Not getting what you DO deserve Grace: (n) Getting what you DO NOT deserve. God gave you mercy by not giving what you do deserve… eternal separation from Him. God gives you grace by giving you what you don’t deserve… eternal life.
GOD IS KIND WITH SELF-CONTROL
Read Romans 2:4
How is God described in this verse? What is God’s kindness intended to do? God is a kind God. You cannot be patient without being kind. Kind people are patient. Some translations of Romans 2:4 use a word that you might not have heard before…”forbearance.” Forbearance means someone has self-control. We see God’s self-control as He controls His anger toward evil. God has won the battle over evil but stays patient and kind as He waits for you to turn toward Him. God is able to control His anger so that you will turn towards Him and experience His goodness.
GOD IS GRACIOUS
Read Isaiah 30:18
How is God described in this verse? What will God do for you? God is a just God and must deal with evil, but His greatest desire is to show you compassion and grace. Do you know that you fit into God’s plan? He is not only patient with you, but He is patient to make all things happen according to His perfect plan. There are times that you want to do things your own way because God seems slow. Remember that you are learning how God is patiently at work so that as many people as possible can live with Him forever!

I Will Provide for You

GOD MEETS YOUR NEEDS
Read Philippians 4:19
What will God do for you? What does God have to provide for you? God is rich! There is no one who has ever owned the earth so it’s safe to say that God is the richest ever to exist! Some people use their riches for themselves. God is different. He uses His riches for His people! He is able to get you everything you need and you never have to worry about His supply running out! Describe a time that you saw God provide
for one of your needs.
GOD KNOWS WHAT YOU REALLY NEED
Read Matthew 6:31-32
What should you not worry about? Does God know your need? God not only will provide for your need, He also knows your need! You don’t have to worry about God being clueless. Sometimes what we think we need and what God knows we need don’t match up. For example, you might be praying for someone who needs to be healed from sickness. They might need to be home with Him forever and instead of providing medicine or healing, He provides them a way home. God wants you to not only pray for your needs but also look to Him to show you what you really need…even if it’s different than what you thought you needed. Remember, God knows best.
DIG DEEPER
Read the story about how God provided for a man who was paralyzed: Read Mark 2:1-12 What did God heal first, the man’s legs or the man’s sins? What did the man need more, his sins being healed or his legs being healed?
GOD PROVIDED FOR YOUR GREATEST NEED
Read Romans 6:23.
What does God give you? Your greatest need is your need for a Savior. This is more important than food, shelter, clothing and medicine. You have a problem… sin. Sin has eternal punishment and God has a solution. He will spend your entire life showing you this need. He has already done the work to meet your need. He sent Jesus to die on the cross for your sins. Jesus overcame death three days later and is alive. The blood He spilled on the cross covers those sins. Because He defeated death, you can defeat true death… separation from God forever. If God spent all of history making His plan happen to provide for your greatest need, don’t you think He will provide for your smaller needs?
GOD GIVES PEACE
Read Philippians 4:6
What does God give you if you give your requests to Him? Life is full of worries. You worry about family, friends, and enemies. You worry about things like, food, acceptance, doing something right, and making a difference. You worry about sickness, death, life and the future. God provides for your worries. In fact, He can get rid of your worries with His promises. Instead, God provides peace. If you trust God and give Him your needs, hopes, dreams, worries, and wants He will give your busy mind a good rest. Has God ever provided you peace? Write about how. Is there something you are worried about? Are you ready to give it to God and watch Him provide peace for you?
GOD GOES ABOVE AND BEYOND
Read 2 Corinthians 9:8
What will God do for you? Why will He bless you abundantly with what you need? Does this verse say God will bless you abundantly with what you want? There are people who will tell you that God will give you everything you want. They will tell you the things that you have are based on how big your faith is. They will say that if you don’t see God answer every one of your prayers for what you want then something is wrong with your faith. THIS IS A LIE! Don’t believe it. God promises that He will provide abundantly for your needs. You must trust in the promise that God knows you best and knows what you need. Your faith is not measured by what you get from God, but by how much you trust God. This is especially true with the things you don’t understand or the answers to prayer you wanted answered differently. God will bless you whether you are faithful or not. It is what He does and who He is. You also need to know that God provides for you so you can do great things for Him.

I Will Help You

GOD GIVES YOU A HELPER
Read John 14:15-17
Who does God give to help you? How is the Helper described? What is the Helper’s name? How long will the Helper be with you? Jesus spoke these words to His disciples when He told them He was leaving the earth. His words are meant for you too! Even though you physically can’t see Jesus, you can have His Spirit, the Spirit of God, forever. When you believe in Jesus, you get the Holy Spirit and He will never leave! Is it comforting to know that God Himself lives inside of you when you need help?
GOD WILL HELP YOU REMEMBER
Read John 14:26.
What will the Holy Spirit help you do? Have you ever read the Bible and thought… “How am I going to remember any of this?” The Holy Spirit will help you remember God’s Word. You might be faced with doing something wrong and all of the sudden you remember a verse that warns you to turn away. That is the Holy Spirit helping you. Maybe you are sharing with a friend about Jesus and you remember a verse that will encourage them… that is the Holy Spirit helping you! Have you ever seen the Holy Spirit help you remember a verse? Thank Him today.
GOD WILL HELP YOUR WEAKNESS
Read Romans 8:26
What does the Holy Spirit promise to help you with? Have you ever been so scared, worried or overwhelmed that you didn’t know how or what to pray to God? The Holy Spirit is there to help. Just bow your head and whatever comes to mind start praying for it. Have you ever been praying and all of the sudden you think about praying for something you hadn’t thought of before? That is the Holy Spirit!
GOD GIVES YOU HIS SPIRIT
Read Isaiah 11:2.
What rests upon you? List all the ways the Spirit of God is described. Do you understand that you have all the things listed inside you? You have access to God’s knowledge, power, wisdom, and understanding. You have the counsel of God inside you. A handyman is not very handy unless he has all the right tools. God has given you some serious power tools to help you. All you have to do is pay attention, listen and obey and you will see the Holy Spirt give you some awesome help. What are some ways you can listen to the Holy Spirit?
GOD HELPS YOU UNDERSTAND
Read 1 Corinthians 2:13
What does the Holy Spirit help you with according to this verse? Sometimes reading the Bible can be challenging because you don’t understand what it says. The Holy Spirit can help you understand what God is trying to say. Anytime you start to understand something in God’s Word… that is the Holy Spirit. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t understand everything you read. God wants to help you. Just ask Him! God wants you to know His Word. Remember that you are young and reading the Bible is a lifetime adventure. The Holy Spirit will still be teaching you when you are 99 years old! Sit tight, trust the Lord, and begin the adventure. For you who are reading the Bible every day, don’t give up the adventure!

I Will Walk With You

GOD WALKS WITH HIS PEOPLE
Read Leviticus 26:12
What are the two things God promises to do for His people? If God wanted to stay in His throne in Heaven 24/7, He deserves to… He is God. But the thing is, God is the type of God who loves to be with His people. Throughout history, He, in some way or form, has been right there in the middle of His people. In the Old Testament, He lived in the temple and sometimes traveled with them as a cloud. In the New Testament, He came down and walked with people as a human named Jesus. Now He lives within the hearts of every one of His followers. God takes every step with you. He is your Father, Savior and faithful friend.
GOD GAVE UP BEING GOD
Read Philippians 2:5-8.
What did Jesus, who is God, do for you? What did the God of the universe become for you? What should your attitude be like? Today, you get to see how God put His promise that He will walk with you in action. He gave up all the cool things that make Him God so He could live on earth like you. He became human. He was a baby. He was a toddler and probably stubbed His toe and cried. God might have gotten a zit. He was bullied. God had to go to the bathroom, and He might have gotten the stomach flu. The point is that God promises to walk with you and He made that come true by becoming human and being like His creation. God didn’t become a human just for fun (although I am sure He had some good, positive fun while on earth). He came to make it possible for you to walk with Him forever. By becoming a human, God made Himself have to face death. God didn’t have to go through death. He didn’t do anything wrong, but He did it so His blood could cover your sin. Did God have to be humble to become human? Are you glad Jesus came to earth to die for your sins?
JESUS UNDERSTANDS
Read Hebrews 2:18
Does Jesus understand when we are tempted? Does Jesus understand when we suffer? How does Jesus understand? You can never say to God, “You don’t understand what I am going through.” Life might be hard, but God understands the worst suffering you could ever go through. Jesus died a horrible death on the cross without doing one thing wrong His entire life. Did you know that God had to turn away from Jesus on the cross? He couldn’t be with Him because Jesus carried all of the sins of all the people who would ever live. Jesus was alone on that cross for you. The good news is that you have a God that not only wants to walk with you, but who came down and walked in your footsteps. You can trust Him to understand your hurts. Since He lived life perfectly, you can trust His advice when He gives it.
WALKING WITH GOD IN ETERNITY
Read Revelation 21:3-4
What will it be like when we are with Jesus after He comes back for His people? God created the earth and walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve sinned it meant that God could not be with them anymore. He knew this would happen and had already planned the way He would make it possible for you to walk with Him. Jesus came, died, and rose again making it possible for God to walk with Him again. Did you know that you will one day live with God forever? One day Jesus will return, punish all evil and live with His people forever! Will there be hurt, pain or death when God is in charge?

Day Five
WALK IN THE LIGHT!
Read Ephesians 5:8
Where were you at one time? Where are you now? How should you walk? The world is filled with sin and darkness. Jesus came and was the light in the darkness. God is the only light, the only way to see in the darkness. Now that you know Him and believe in Him, there is no reason to live a sinful life. He wants to walk with you in the light and promises to help you. If you do, you might just see others reach for the true light switch because God’s light was seen in you! How can you take God up on His offer to walk with you? In other words, how can you walk with Him?

I Will Guide You

GOD AS A GUIDE
Read Isaiah 58:11
What will God do for you always? God is always at work. He is always there to help and guide you. Life can be scary sometimes because you don’t know your future, but God will help you walk that path He made for you step by step
A LAMP FOR YOUR FEET
Read Psalm 119:105.
How is God’s Word described? Have you ever gone camping and used a lantern to guide you on a dark trail? The lantern doesn’t light the entire path, it just lights the area around your feet. It’s perfect because you know exactly where you should and shouldn’t step. This is exactly how God promises to guide you with His Word. His Word is able to light your path one step at a time. You don’t have to worry about what is ahead in your life, just focus on how God’s Word is guiding you today. If you do, even though there might be bumps in the road, you will know where to step and eventually get where God wants you to go safely. What is God teaching you today? How has God guided you using His Word this year? How has His guidance helped you take steps?
GOD’S ROAD MAP
Read 2 Corinthians 5:17
What does God promise to do for you? Fill in the Blank: God will counsel you with a ___________ eye on you. God has a plan for you and He will help you accomplish it. God can see you and watches you with a loving eye. He will help you make decisions and will point you in the right direction. He will even pick you up when you fall, brush off the dust, and fix what is broken. He loves you and will guide you. Has God ever picked you up when you have failed or fallen? What did He do? Do you trust God to show you what He wants you to do? Do you think it takes patience to trust God to guide you?
OPEN THE ROAD MAP
Read Psalm 25:9
Who does God guide/lead? Who does God teach? God promises to guide you, but you must have the right attitude to listen and follow His guidance. A humble person listens and obeys. A humble person is a person who does not think their own way is better than God’s. They can put their own desires aside and put God as #1. God will give you guidance, but you have to receive it. It’s like a road map. A road map will give you all the direction you want, but if you don’t use it, it can’t help you. You will be able to follow God’s guidance if you have a heart that is humble. Do you believe your way is better than God’s way? How can you have a humble heart and listen to God today?
ASK GOD TODAY
Read Psalm 25:4-5
What does the author of Psalm pray to God in this prayer? List them below in your own words. This is a great prayer to help you have a humble heart. The author really wanted God’s way to be his. Look at your list above and pray for God to guide you and give you all the patience you need to wait for Him to do His thing in you!

I Have Defeated Evil

GOD DEFEATED EVIL ALREADY
Read John 3:8
Why did God appear? Who has been sinning from the beginning? God came to defeat evil and bring salvation! Because of the bad things in the world, it sometimes may seem like God has not defeated evil. But remember, He has promised you that He is patient. He has also promised you that He is in control and there is no way evil can overcome Him!
REAL LIFE FAIRYTALE
Read Galatians 1:4
What does God promise He can rescue you from? Everyone knows the story of Cinderella and how she was rescued by her prince from a life of evil with her stepmother and sisters. God rescues you from the evil in the world by giving you salvation. Someday, God will bring you home to His Kingdom to live forever and you will be rescued from all evil! You are living a real life fairytale! Disney’s got nothing on Jesus!
GOD HAS POWER OVER SATAN
Read Hebrews 2:14-15
By Jesus dying on the cross and rising again, whose power did He break? Satan has no power over God. You have to be careful because He does a good job of using your sin to have power over you… if you let Him. You have victory in Jesus. Satan can’t steal your salvation, but He can steal your purpose and potential. He can keep you from doing great things for God. Remember, God promises that with Him on your side there is nothing you can’t overcome.
GOD IS YOUR RESCUER
Read Colossians 1:13
Where did God rescue you from? Where does God take you? Memorize this verse today! Aren’t you glad you live in light?
LORD OF LORDS
Read Revelation 17:14
When Christ returns, Satan will try to stop Him one last time. The Bible tells us what will happen. What does it say? Who will be with Jesus when He does this? Did you realize that you get to see Jesus put Satan in His place? Yep, you read that right! Jesus is going to return to earth someday and put an end to Satan for good. Thank God today for the promise that He will return and stop Satan for good!
DID YOU KNOW?
I don’t think Mr. Disney intended for his fairytale movies to be an example of the things God can do for you, but it’s kind of fun to see how other Disney stories can represent ways God rescues you. Snow White: She was tempted to eat the apple which caused her death, but true love gave her life. Man sinned when He ate the apple in the garden, but God’s love broke the curse of sin when He gave His life for us. Cinderella: She was rescued from the evil family who made her their slave. The prince rescued her, made her his bride and brought her to His kingdom. God will one day completely rescue us from evil and the sin of the world and bring us into His Kingdom to live with Him forever. Belle: She loved the unlovable beast and it restored Him to who He was born to be. God loves the unlovable, those who sin, and His love through His grace and mercy restores you back to who He made you to be. The Little Mermaid: She traded her voice to get earthly things, but love was able to restore her voice. Sometimes we trade what God gave us to glorify Him for the things of the world. God loves you and is able to restore what is broken by the world.

I Will Return for You

GOD’S PREPARING YOUR ROOM
Read John 14:3
What does God promise He will come back to do? Jesus is coming back to earth! If you are bummed you missed Jesus the first time He was on earth, get excited because you will get to see Him the second time around. But this time, He won’t come as a baby… He will come from the sky!
YOU ARE RETURNING WITH GOD
Read 1 Thessalonians 3:13
Did you know that when Jesus returns, He will come with all those who have believed in Him and are in heaven? If you believe in Jesus as your Savior, you will get to see Jesus return someday! Even better is that
you will get to be with Him!
JESUS COMES AGAIN!
Read Hebrews 9:28
What did Jesus come to do the first time? What will He do when He returns? Jesus came to earth the first time as a baby. He came to live a perfect life on earth to die for man’s sin. By doing this, Jesus was able to take our sins and keep those who believe in Him from sin’s penalty… separation from Him for eternity. The second time He comes, He will make all His promises about your salvation come true. You will not only get to avoid sin’s penalty, you will now get to avoid sin completely!
JESUS IS COMING SOON
Read Revelation 22:12
When will Jesus come according to God? Sooner or later? What will Jesus have with Him? How is God described? When Jesus returns He will reward you for being faithful to Him. God is the beginning and the end. He created it all and there is an end to His plan on earth. The good news is there is no end for the people who love Him. You get to be with Him forever!
MEMORIZE IT.
Read and memorize Revelation 1:8. Write it out to help you remember it.
ASK SOMEONE
You have learned things that are really important. Today, ask an adult who loves Jesus to help you with understand the promise that Jesus will return.

I Will Discipline You

GOD WILL DISCIPLINE YOU
Read Hebrews 12:5-6
Who does God discipline? Should you ignore or be defensive when God disciplines you? Be thankful that you have a God who loves you just the way you are. Be even more thankful that God loves you too much to let you stay the way you are. He punishes sin so that you can grow in your walk with Jesus!
TRAINING FOR PEACE
Read Hebrews 12:11
Does God recognize that discipline is hard to go through? Why does God promise that it’s worth it? God understands how tough discipline is for you, but He does it anyway because He knows it’s the best thing for you. The best attitude to have with God and your parents is to say you are sorry, faithfully take your punishment without complaining and change your actions. Remember that God promises to help you.
YOU ARE GOD’S KID
Read Hebrews 12:11
Who does God correct? Think about it… when you are at the store, have you ever seen your mom or dad discipline a child they don’t know over on the next aisle? Of course not, because the kid one aisle over is not theirs. If you do the same actions as that child one minute later, they will discipline you because you are their child. God loves you, so if He is disciplining you, that means you are His. His discipline is another confirmation that you are His.
BE WISE
Read Proverbs 13:1
What does a wise kid do? God promises to forgive and He already has forgiven you for your mistakes. If you are wise, you will learn from the temporary consequences you might face while you live on earth. If you do, God will make you more wise about how to live for Him.

DID YOU KNOW?
In Malachi 3:3, God describes Himself as a refiner of silver. It’s a really cool analogy to explain how God uses things such as trials and discipline to help us be better. Did you know that the metal silver in its raw form (meaning when it comes straight from the earth), has lots of imperfections? It’s actually not that cool looking. A silver refiner puts the piece of silver into the fire to remove the imperfections. He does this until the silver is pure. God uses discipline to help you get rid of your imperfections. He is not talking about the way you look. He is talking about the imperfection in your character called sin.
GOD’S DISCIPLINE HAS REWARD
Read 2 Corinthians 7:10
The word grief is another way to say “pain.” You can experience pain when God gives you a situation that is hard. You can also experience Godly pain when God disciplines you. God understands that there is pain, but it leads to you being sorry for your sin. What does Godly grief promise to produce? What does worldly grief promise to produce? Read Matthew 5:3 What does the poor in spirit inherit from God?

I Will Reward You

YOU WILL BE REWARDED
Read Hebrews 11:16.
What does God give to those who seek Him? Do you have a family member who gives you good gifts at Christmas and for your birthday? If you do, do you get excited to see what he/she has to give you during these special occasions? Get excited because God is the best gift giver and He has tons in store to give you. God not only gives you an inheritance, He also gives you a reward. It is important for you to understand the difference. Your inheritance is eternal life. When you inherit something, you did nothing to get it. It is just given to you. You did nothing to get eternal life, Jesus did all the work on the cross. If eternal life was all you got, that would be enough. God’s reward is like the stocking stuffer at Christmas. It’s not the main gift, but you are amazed that you get extra goodies in a sock. God will reward you for the good things you do on earth. It has nothing to do with your salvation but everything to do with a God who wants to bless His followers’ “socks off.”
DO NOT GIVE UP
Read Galatians 6:9
Why should you not grow weary in doing good? The word “reap” is a farming word. Farmers reap their crops when they are planted and full grown. It’s their reward for all the hard work they put into planting and growing the crops. God is promising you He will reward you for doing good. He is also motivating you to do good things. Focusing on the reward that God will give you is a good reason for doing good things! What are 3 good things you can do for God today?

1.

2.

3.
LOOK UP FOR YOUR REWARD
Read Colossians 3:2
Where should you set your eyes? Where should you NOT set your eyes? Colossians 3:2 helps explain what God’s reward is like. God promises you a reward for doing good but He also wants you to look up towards Him for that reward. God’s reward is so much better than earthly things. Earthly things are temporary that break and get old. God’s reward lasts for an eternity. God may bless you while you are on earth, but you should never do things so God can give you things on earth. There is no way to know what God’s reward will look like in heaven, but if you like the things He creates on earth… the things He has created for you in heaven will be a million times better. What are some ways that you can take your focus off earthly things?
THE VICTOR’S CROWN
Read 2 Timothy4:7-8
What does God say He will give to those who love Him when they have finished the race of life? The Olympics started in the country of Greece. When Paul was alive, the Olympics happened. He might have even gone! They looked a little different than they do today. For example, the winners would get a crown of leaves. The Greek word for it was “stefanos” (It sounds like the word “Stefanie” combined with the “los” in the name “Carlos”). This crown was not a “ruling crown” that a king would wear. This was the crown of a victor, a winner. God promises that you will get a victor’s crown. Life is a long distance race that takes training and endurance. But at the end, if you love God you will be victorious… and He will reward you with a crown!
YOU DID NOTHING FOR YOUR INHERITANCE
Read Ephesians 2:8-9
How are you saved? Did you do anything to get salvation? Remember, God’s grace is how you are saved. He did the work for you to have eternal life. It is important for you to understand the difference between inheriting salvation and being rewarded for good works when you get to heaven. The good works did not get you in… they are just the bonus gift.

You Will Overcome Death

DEATH HAS NO POWER
Read Acts 16:25-34
What does this verse say the Lord will help us escape from? Fill in the Blank: God is a God of ___________________. The whole world spends all its time trying to figure out how to live longer and escape death. Instead of trying to keep your earthly body from death, it’s good for you to know what true death is. The world thinks death is when your earthly body gives out, but God says true death is something else! You don’t have to be afraid when life on earth is over. God promises that He has overcome death. He is the key to escape it. Nothing man can do is able to do this… only God has the keys. Are you comforted knowing that God helps you escape true death? Do you believe Jesus overcame death?
JESUS DEFEATED DEATH
Read James 1:2
Fill in the blanks: God _____________ death and brought _________________ to light by the _________________. This verse can be hard to understand because it uses big words. The word abolished means “to end for good.” Because Jesus died and rose again, He ended death for good. Remember that God’s definition of death means being separated from Him forever. God is all about life and He brings you the opportunity for life. Remember, God’s goal is to get you to eternity with Him forever!
GOD GIVES LIFE
Read John 10:10
What does the thief come to do? What did Jesus come to do? Death and Satan have been defeated by Jesus. He will not win and he knows it. Satan tried to defeat God but after trying thousands of times, he couldn’t do it. Satan is a bad loser. He can’t just walk away in defeat. Instead, He wants to bring you down with him. He will do everything can to tempt you to follow him. He knows your weaknesses and he uses them to steal what is meant for you… eternal life. God on the other hand is a life giver. Believe in Him and Satan will never be able to steal and destroy your ability to live forever. God not only wants you to live but He also has planned a great life…here on earth and in eternity!
DIG DEEPER
Paul was a guy in the Bible who had a big faith in God. Read what he says about life and death. Read Philippians 1:21-23. What do you learn from Paul?
JUST SAY “SEE YA LATER”
Read 1 Thessalonians 4:13
Why does God want you to know the truth about death? Who does God not want you to grieve like? God understands that you will be sad when someone you love dies. It is okay to be sad, but He wants you to know what He promises about overcoming death. You don’t have to be sad like the people in the world who don’t know Christ. People who do not have Christ as their Savior don’t have any idea what happens when your earthly body stops working. They might believe different things, but those things are not true. Only God is true and if you believe in Him this is why you won’t be sad like the world… you get to see your loved ones again! Yep, you read that right. Because of Jesus, when someone who loves Him dies you don’t have to say good-bye, you get to say “See ya later.” It will comfort your sadness to know your loved one is in a place that is so much better. They are up in heaven excited for when you get to be with them forever! Does it comfort you to know that you will get to see the ones you love again? Take the time today to thank Jesus for making life last forever!
GOD CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU!
Read Psalm 116:15.
When does God rejoice? Were you shocked when you read this verse? Of course God delights when one of His comes home to live with Him forever. He takes great pleasure in being with you! He can’t wait to hang out with you. He loves you more than anything. Living on earth is really great and hopefully you will get to live a long time on earth. Remember, God created the earth and life is great here because He has planned it to be great. The earth is filled with all sorts of fun things to do and God wants you to enjoy what He has created. Did you know that God created the heavens too? If life on earth is awesome, can you imagine what life in eternity will be like? God says it’s a million times better than earth. God has eternity planned for and you get to live it with everyone who loves God too!

I Have Prepared a Place for You

YOUR NEW ROOM
Read John 14:2.
What does God promise that He has done for you? When you lived in your mom’s belly, you were alive. Because your parents love you, they started to prepare your room. They bought you a crib, diapers, clothes, toys, and maybe even put your name on things in a fun way. When you arrived on earth, you had a room. The same is true for when you arrive in eternity. Jesus promises that He is preparing a room just for you. You will get to heaven and it will have your name on it. Are you excited to see the room God has prepared for you? Draw a picture of what you think the room God is preparing is like.
GOD’S CITY
Read Hebrews 11:16
What were God’s people longing for? What did He prepare for them? God is not only preparing you a room… He is preparing you a sweet city to live in! Living with Him forever is going to be awesome! When living life in your city on earth is hard, remember that you get to live in a city God has prepared for His people to live in with Him! Just for fun, draw a picture of what you think God’s city would be like.
GOD’S NEW EARTH
Read Revelation 21:3-4
Where will God be when He returns? What will He do? Not only has God promised to prepare a room and a city, He also will create a new earth and new heavens! You get to move into a new home that will never have earthquakes, tornados, famines, sickness, death or evil! Are you excited? In the new earth you will see God everyday! This is hard to understand but God didn’t mean for you to understand it. He meant for it to get you excited! He makes all things new… including the places He has for you to live with Him!
DID YOU KNOW?
It only took God 6 days to create the earth. He has had a couple thousand years to prepare your room for you. God’s building skills on earth are amazing, but it will be even more amazing to see what He builds when He has a couple thousand years of time!
GOD SAVES THE BEST FOR LAST!
Read 1 Corinthians 2:9
Fill in the blanks: No __________ has seen, no ___________ has heard, and no __________ has imagined what God has _______________ for those who love Him. What God has planned for you is unimaginable, it’s unheard of, and it’s completely original. God saves the best for last and you should be excited for it!
GOD GIVES ETERNAL LIFE
Read John 10:28
Can anyone snatch eternal life out of your hand? This is a promise that can keep you from worrying. If you believe in Jesus, eternal life is yours. No one, not even Satan can keep you from it.

You Will Live Forever with Me

BELIEVE IN JESUS
Read John 3:16
Write out this verse and memorize it today. This is a promise to hide in your heart.
ABSENT FROM EARTH=BEING WITH JESUS!
Read 2 Corinthians 5:8
If you are absent from your earthly body, then where are you? If you believe in Jesus, the Bible tells you when your earthly body gives out your soul is with Jesus. There is no waiting period… it’s immediate.
DIG DEEPER
When Jesus was dying on the cross, there were two thieves who also were being crucified next to Him. Unlike Jesus, these guys totally deserved their punishment. When one of them made fun of Jesus, the other spoke up and defended Him. Not only did he defend Jesus, but he told Jesus he believed in Him as his Savior. Jesus turned to him and told him, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” Jesus made it clear that when the man died, He would immediately be present with Jesus. Read all about it in Luke 23:39-43.
THERE WILL BE NO MORE SIN
Read Revelation 22:3
What will there be no more of? When man sinned in Genesis 3, the curse of sin happened. God is promising here that there will be no sin in eternity. You will never have to say “I’m Sorry” to God again. You will never feel guilty again. You will never feel shame for what you have done again. You will never have to be disciplined and there will be no consequences… because there is no sin. You will never be damaged by what others do wrong because there is no sin. Isn’t eternity going to be awesome!? Write down the reason why you are excited there is no sin.
YOU WILL GET A NEW BODY
Read Philippians 3:21.
What will God do to our lowly bodies? Did you know you get a new body when you go to heaven? You will get a body that will never break, never get sick and never die. Your new body will never grow old. For those people who live on earth with something wrong with their body, they can have hope that their new body will be perfect. The person born with no legs will have legs someday. The person born blind will have eyes that can see. The person who looses the ability to do something while living life on earth because of an accident will get a new body! Is living forever with Jesus sounding better and better everyday? How are you comforted by God’s promise that you will get a new body?
ETERNAL LIFE STARTS NOW
Read John 17:3
When does eternal life start? The moment you know Jesus as your Savior, your life becomes eternal. You won’t fully experience it until you get to heaven but you can be excited in the promise that you will live forever. Write down five questions that you want to ask God when you see Him in heaven someday.

These Promises Only Come from God

GOD IS THE ONLY WAY TO ETERNAL LIFE
Read Acts 4:12
Fill in the blanks: _______________ is found in _____________ else. There is ______ other name under _________________ by which you are ___________________ . The world likes to wrap their arms around and hug the idea that there are many ways to get to heaven. It sounds great when you first hear this so it’s easy to believe the lie. You need to know this is a lie. The truth is that God is the only way to salvation. This is not only a truth, but a promise. You never have to worry if you have salvation. You always can have peace that you have eternal life. God is so good that He will spend your lifetime confirming over and over that He alone gives salvation.
THE WAY AND TRUTH
Read John 14:6.
How does this verse describe God? You have read this verse before but today spend time memorizing it. You need to hide in your heart that God is the only way to have true life. Don’t let anyone else tell you lies that He is not or that there is another way.
LOOKING BACK
Read Matthew 25:23
What does God say to His faithful servant? God is proud of you. In fact, the biggest compliment you can get in life is when God says “well done” because you have been faithful. He is saying it to you right now. Yep, that’s right. He is proud of you for committing to read His Word and learn His promises. It’s good to spend time thinking about what God has taught you this year. Today, think about what you learned this year about God’s promises. Was there anything that you didn’t know but now you do? Have you seen any of God’s promises come true while you have done this study? Write out other things you have learned.
DEFEND AND SHARE GOD’S PROMISES
Read 1 Peter 3:15
What does this verse ask you to do? You have spent 9 months learning about the promises God gives all over the Bible. Remember your instructions each month to highlight the verses you read with a yellow marker? If you have done this, flip through your Bible and see all the yellow you have highlighted. By doing this, you have prepared yourself to give an answer to a friend about why you love God and put your hope and dreams in Him. They are in yellow on your pages!

GIVE IT A TRY!
Take time to share with a friend what God has promised to you and to them. You know it… you are ready. Don’t forget to ask the Holy Spirit to help you with your words and help you remember God’s Word!
BE A LIGHT
Read Matthew 5:16
What does God want you to do? You know and believe the promises of God… it’s time for you to be a light to the world for Him. It’s time for you to show others that God has lots of awesome promises and that they come true! List some ways YOU can be proof that God’s promises are good and real: