“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1)

Walking around the garage in complete darkness is a bad idea. If the room is pitch black, you’ll probably hurt yourself. You might bump into the car or trip over a baseball bat or a basketball. And you’ll probably stub your toe or hit your head. That could be painful!

But if you take a flashlight with you, everything will change. You’ll see where you’re going, and you won’t stub your toe or hit your head, because of the light you have with you.

What are some facts about light? Light makes things clear and easy to see. Light shows us where to go and keeps us from getting hurt. Light draws our attention to things. Can you think of some other facts about light?

The Bible says that God is light.

God makes things clear in His Word. God makes things easy to see with His will. God draws our attention to Himself. God is the perfect light. And this Light – God – belongs to you, if you are saved.

1 John 1:5 says, “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”

Next time you flip on the light-switch in your bedroom, remember this: it is just as important to see God and His light as it is to see the light in your room.

God is the perfect light.

My Response:
» What do I need God to help me see?
» How can I use God’s Word be a light in my life?

“But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever He hath pleased.” (Psalm 115:3)

Imagine being surrounded by a large invisible net. Imagine that everywhere you go – school, your house, your friend’s house – you are surrounded by this net. The net is there to stop everything from touching you. If someone throws a volleyball at you during P.E. class, it would just bounce off of nothing. If someone throws their carrots at you in the lunch room, the carrots won’t touch you. Nothing can get past the net!

One of God’s gifts to us is His sovereignty. God’s sovereignty is much like an invisible net. Situations in life – both good and bad – cannot touch you without getting God’s permission.

The word sovereignty is a big word with a simple meaning. Sovereign means “chief” or “highest in power.” To say that God is sovereign means that God is the One in charge of everything – it means nothing can get past God’s control. A car accident can’t harm you without God’s permission. Surprises and blessings can’t touch you without God’s permission. God is in control of everything!

God’s sovereignty is like a net that surrounds and protects you.

My Response:
» How does knowing that God is sovereign change my life?

“I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.” (Psalm 139:14-15)

God made you. Before you were born – even long before your parents were even born – God had plans for you. The Bible says that in God’s book He had a record that told all that would happen to you. No matter what you look like or what talents or disabilities you might have been born with, God planned it all. He made you just the way you are for His own glory.

Sometimes you might be tempted to complain about how God made you. You may wish you looked like someone else, or maybe you wish you had a natural talent like one of your classmates. The Bible says that you were fearfully and wonderfully made and that God’s thoughts toward you are precious.

Although you should never think boastfully about yourself, you should recognize that God made you special and unique, and He has a special plan for your life that includes what you look like and what natural talents you have. Thank God today for making you just the way you are, and look for ways that you can bring glory to Him with your appearance and your talents.

God made me, and His thoughts toward me are precious.

My Response:
» Am I tempted to complain about the way I look or the disabilities I have?
» Do I thank God for everyone He’s made?

“As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler [shield] to all those that trust in him.” (Psalm 18:30)

“Sometimes I pray for things that the Lord doesn’t give me,” Shannon told her Sunday school teacher, Mrs. Collins.

“I understand,” Mrs. Collins said. “Sometimes when I pray, I feel sure that what I’m asking for is going to be good for me. God knows better, though, and we can be sure that God’s plan for us is the perfect plan for us.”

The Bible says that the word of the Lord – everything God says – is “tried.” That means that God’s words have stood the test of time. The place where God’s words for us are recorded is the Bible. The Bible has been in men’s hands for thousands of years, but not once has it ever been wrong. There’s not one place in God’s Word where God said something that wasn’t quite true.

We, on the other hand, are wrong about things all the time. We can’t see the big picture, and so sometimes we don’t understand how God’s ways fit into the grand scheme of our whole life or for eternity. Only God knows how everything fits together. His way is perfect.

Our perfect God acts as a shield for us. We’re safe and secure when we trust in Him and follow His leading. When we step out from under the protection of our Shield, we become vulnerable to the fiery darts of the wicked.

God’s ways are sometimes different from what we would choose. But God’s plans are best in ways we can’t see, and following them keeps us safe. As for me, my own ways are sometimes wrong. But as for God, His way is perfect.

God knows better than I do, and His way is perfect.

My Response:
» Do I have faith in God’s ways or am I going my own way, putting myself outside of God’s protection?

Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Will I trust God to bring good out of the sad time I’m going through?

One day, I brought home a bright red helium balloon. I was so proud of it! I could hardly wait to get it out of the car and begin playing with it. But no sooner had my feet touched the pavement of our driveway than it slipped out of my hand and went floating away toward the clouds. I was disappointed and angry. It wasn’t fair! I had lost my balloon before I even had a chance to play with it.

But my dad had an idea. “I’ll get my binoculars,” he said. “Let’s watch your balloon till it’s out of sight.” We stood out in the backyard, my dad and I, for a long time that evening. We passed the binoculars back and forth, tracking the red balloon’s flight into the sky. What fun we had! That evening that had begun so sadly ended up filled with laughter and joy. It was one of my favorite times spent with my father.

God, our Father, sometimes allows things to happen in our lives that seem very bad to us. Things might happen that hurt and disappoint us and make us want to scream, “It’s not fair!” But God has wonderful plans for those painful times. He may want to teach us something new about Himself. He may want us to come closer to Him. We get to know Him better as we pray and trust Him in times of suffering. He causes all things to work together for good to us if we are His children. Maybe someday you will look back on your saddest time as the best time you ever spent with your Father.

God brings good out of His children’s pain and suffering.

“Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.” (Psalm 103:13)

One day Laurie and her sister Caroline came home from school, and both of their parents met them at the door. Their dad never came home from work in the middle of the day. They knew something must be wrong.

“Girls,” said their dad without his usual smile, “I have some sad news. Your grandpa died this morning.”

They sat down on the couch, their daddy in the middle with an arm around each of them. And Laurie and Caroline cried. Caroline looked up finally and noticed a tear rolling down her daddy’s cheek. She could hardly believe her eyes! She had never seen her daddy cry before. “He must really miss Grandpa too,” she thought. Later she realized that her dad was crying, not just because he missed Grandpa. He was crying for his daughters because they were sad.

Did you know that God is just as tenderhearted as a loving father? He feels every painful thing that you feel. He wants you to draw near to Him and let Him comfort you.

Maybe you do not have an earthly father in your home protecting, providing, and tenderly caring for you. God wants you to enjoy that special father-child relationship with Him alone. He promises in His Word to be a Father to the fatherless child (Psalm 68:5).

God is a tenderhearted Father who shares His children’s griefs and longs to comfort them.

My Response:
» Have I become God’s child by faith in His Son, Jesus Christ?
» Do I go to my heavenly Father when I need comfort?

Psalm 7:11b ” …God is angry with the wicked every day”

Is God angry with my sin right now?

When you hear Bible stories, do you ever wonder why God sometimes sends terrible judgments on people who sin? He is holy, and sin displeases Him so much that He is angry with sin. Is it right for God to be angry?

When we get angry about something, our anger is usually not right. We get angry because someone hurts our feelings or keeps us from getting our way. But God’s anger is never this selfish kind of anger. His anger is righteous. God would not be perfectly holy if He were not angry with sin.

But everyone sins. Does this mean that God is angry with everyone all the time?

The anger that God has toward sin is often called wrath in the Bible. But God does not have this wrath toward everyone. Ephesians 2:1-9 tells us that people who have never put their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation are “children of wrath.” But people who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ receive mercy, grace, and kindness from God.

Which kind of person are you? Even if you are a “child of wrath,” God still loves you. He is waiting for you to accept the grace and forgiveness He offers you in Christ.

God is angry with the sin of people who have never put their faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.

My Response: Is God angry with my sin right now? Or have I received His merciful forgiveness through faith in Christ?

“These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life…” (1 John 5:13)

Have you asked Jesus to be your Savior from sin? Do you ever wonder whether you have really believed on Him? Do you know that you have eternal life with Him in heaven when you die someday? Some people spend a large part of their lives doubting and wondering whether they are really saved.

God does not want you to live in doubt. One of the books in His Word is written just so that true believers can know that they are saved. The book of 1 John gives us some tests to see whether we have really come to know God. Here are some questions you can ask yourself: Do I obey God’s Word? (1 John 2:3). Do I love other Christians? (1 John 2:9-10). Do I have a hatred for worldly things – wrong desires, pride, selfish pleasure? (1 John 2:15). Do I believe that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 John 2:22-23). Do I have consistent habits of sin in my life, or do I give up sin with God’s help? (1 John 2:29, 1 John 3:9).

Believe God’s Word when He says that all those who call upon His name in faith will be saved (Romans 10:13). That includes you! Pray about these questions from 1 John, and ask God to show you whether they are true in your life. Remember, God wants you to know that you belong to Him. He wants you to love Him and serve Him with joy and peace in your heart.

God wants us to know that we are truly saved.

My Response:
» Do I have any doubts about whether I truly know God?
» Does my life pass the “tests” of true believers in 1 John?

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.” (Matthew 22:37-38)*

What is an idol? You have probably heard about them in missionary stories, and you’ve read about them in the Bible. An idol is a piece of wood or stone shaped like a person or an animal, and people worship it. Right?

That is one kind of idol. But there are other kinds, too. An idol is anything that we love more than God. An idol could be a person, an object, a hobby, a goal, or a desire. God commands us to love Him first. And first means most. God wants to be our highest love.

If we really knew and understood our God, we would have no trouble loving Him most. He is so worthy of our love. He is mightier, wiser, kinder, and more beautiful than any being we can imagine. His love for us is deeper and stronger than we can even begin to understand. He is perfectly holy, and yet He is merciful and forgiving. No one else could ever come close to being like Him. He is, as His Word says, “altogether lovely.”

It is only when we take our eyes off our God that other things seem more important to us. What is taking first place in your heart?

God wants and deserves to be our highest love.

My Response: » Who or what is in first place in my heart? » Do I need to ask God to help me get rid of an idol so that I can love Him most?

*NOTE: The audio recording lists the passage as Matthew 23:37-38, however, the correct passage is Matthew 22:37-38.

“He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.” (Psalm 147:4)

Molly loved to visit her grandma on her farm in Missouri. Because Grandma lived so far away from all the city lights, Molly could see many more stars there than she could at her house in the city. She would lie in the grass on a summer night, just staring into the sky. It seemed like the longer she looked, the more stars there were. Millions and billions and trillions of stars.

The Scripture says that God, the Creator, knows the number of the stars. And not only that, but He also knows all of their millions and billions and trillions of names! His knowledge of His creation is infinite.

The God who created each of the stars created you, too. He knows your name, too. And He knows you – from the inside out. He knows all of your thoughts, good and bad. He knows your fears and your desires. He knows what makes you cry. He knows what you love most. He knows things about you that you don’t even know yourself! He knows all this – and He loves you.

God’s knowledge of His creation is both infinite and personal.

My Response:
» Am I willing to ask God to show me things about myself that need to change?

“Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us.” (Psalm 62:8)

Do you ever need a refuge? A refuge is a place where you go to be safe, a place where you can be free from danger and fear. Everyone is afraid at times. You might feel fearful when you’re alone or when you’re in bed at night with darkness all around. Sometimes you might worry that something bad will happen to your mom or dad. Sometimes you’re afraid because you know you’ve done something wrong – even if you haven’t been caught yet.

God wants to be your refuge at those times. He tells you to pour out your heart to Him. Does that mean you need to use just the right words when you pray? Should you try to pretend you’re a brave, good person who doesn’t really need His help? Pouring out your heart means telling Him exactly how you feel – because He already knows. Tell Him you feel afraid, or tell Him you know you’ve sinned and need His forgiveness. He is greater than anything that you fear. And He cares for you.

God wants to be a refuge for me when I am afraid.

My Response:
» Am I keeping fear or sin in my heart instead of pouring it out to God?

“I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.” (Psalm 4:8)

When Corey was scared, there was only one place he wanted to be. If he had a nightmare, if thunder clashes woke him up, or if the tree branches outside his window looked like giant hands ready to grab him, he ran to his parents’ bedroom. In their room there was a small space between the wall and the bed, and Corey was allowed to sleep there on the floor when he was scared. Corey knew that if someone or something was going to get him, they would have to crawl over his dad first. And Corey knew that his father would never let anything bad happen to him.

Proverbs 29:25 says, “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.” The word snare means trap. Man isn’t strong enough to win every battle or defeat every bad guy. If we trust in men and not in God, we will end up being trapped someday.

The Bible says that God is the only One who can provide true safety. He holds us in the palm of His hand. Just like the game where someone holds a penny in his fist and someone else tries to pry open his fingers to get the penny, God holds us, and no one is strong enough to pry open God’s hand. No one!

Next time you’re scared, tell God. If you’re scared of school, talk to God – He knows all the answers. If you’re scared of a person, talk to God – He made that person. If you’re scared of the unknown, talk to God – He knows all. God is safety; run to Him!

God is the only one who can keep you safe.

My Response: » What are some things that I fear? » Can I trust God with my fears?

“Ah Lord God! Behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee.” (Jeremiah 32:17)

Scientists tell us that there are at least 70 sextillion stars in the universe. Wow! That’s the number 7 followed by 22 zeroes!

Scientists also tell us that the Pacific Ocean holds 192 quintillion gallons of water and that the surface of the sun is 16 times hotter than boiling water.

Have you ever stopped to think that there is always enough oxygen for everyone in the world to breathe every day? In fact, by the time you are ten years old, you’ve taken about 74 million breaths.

So what or who could be more powerful than these facts? GOD! Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” God is so powerful that in one week and with one voice He made the world. He made the sextillion stars, the quintillion gallons of water, and the sun that is hotter than you can imagine. Nobody helped Him or told Him how to do it. He just said, Let there be light: and there was light (Genesis 1:3).

God is powerful. He has more power than all the people in the world combined. So who do you go to for help? Why not go to your powerful God! He wants to help you.

God has the power to help you; nothing is too difficult for Him!

My Response:
» In what ways do I need God’s help?
» Do I trust God to help me and answer my prayers?

“Although the fig tree shall not blossom,…yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” (Habakkuk 3:17-18)

A young missionary in China named Hudson Taylor was writing a letter home to his sister Amelia. What happy news could he share? Many of the Chinese people were dying from famine. He had very little money. The other missionaries did not like the way he dressed as the Chinese did. And the girl he loved and wanted to marry had just told him that she would not marry him. Hudson had every reason to be sad. His eyes moved to the Bible beside him on his desk. What had he read that very day about God’s love? He picked up his pen and wrote, “The love of God never changes. Can we ever love Jesus as much as He loves us?”

What would it take to make you happy? Another new toy? A room all to yourself? An “A” on your math paper? Having a certain person for your best friend? Only knowing God and His love for you can make you happy deep down in your heart. Only He can give you happiness that lasts, even when things go wrong.

Knowing God is the only thing that will make you truly happy.

My Response:
» Am I getting to know God through His Word?
» Do I find my happiness in God?

“What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” (Psalm 56:3)

Like many people, Maggie was afraid of the dark. She was afraid of the scary things she couldn’t see in the dark. Maggie shared a bedroom with her sister Kathi, and she made Kathi promise not to go to sleep until after she had fallen asleep so that Kathi could protect her from all of the “scary things” in the room.

For the times that Maggie’s fears were very strong, her mother told her to quote Bible verses and pray. Maggie’s mom said that the Lord promised in His Word that He would calm all of Maggie’s fears. Psalms 56:3 says, “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” Maggie’s mom explained that God did not want her to be afraid; instead He wanted her to trust Him with all her fears. Maggie followed her mom’s advice and began to see how the Lord was more powerful than anything real or imagined. As she quoted verses, she was reminded of God’s control over everything. As a result, she started being less and less afraid of the dark.

The Lord promises us in His Word that He will comfort us when we are afraid. Isaiah 41:10 says, “Fear thou not, for I am with thee: be not dismayed for I am thy God.” Whether it is something small, like being afraid of the dark, or something large, the Lord asks us to trust Him to comfort us in the midst of our fears.

God’s Word is able to comfort His children when they are afraid.

My Response:
» Do I ask for God’s comfort when I am afraid? Do I trust Him to be with me even during painful or scary times?

“He is the Rock, his work is perfect; for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.” (Deuteronomy 32:4)

Have you ever broken something like your mom’s good china or a special glass? Glass is fragile; it is easily broken. It’s the same way with trust. Trust in a friend can easily be broken. One of the quickest ways to lose a person’s trust is by lying. If a person lies to you, you never know when to believe him.

Lies are told in several different ways: telling a half-truth, sharing a story in a way that makes you look better than what actually happened, being one way with one person and another way with somebody else, or allowing a lie or rumor to continue when you know that it is not true. No matter what form it takes, a lie is a sin.

If God lied only once, we would never be able to trust Him or His Word. But God cannot lie. He does not have the ability to lie. We can trust God completely because He is a God of truth – everything He says is true; His words are reliable. What a comfort to know that all of God’s promises in His Word are true. If you are a child of God, one way to be like your Father is to be truthful.

You can trust God because He is a God of truth.

My Response:
» Do I trust God’s Word?
» Do I consistently speak the truth?

“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12)

How far is the east from the west? Let’s suppose you decide you want to measure the distance between east and west. If you were to get into an airplane and start traveling east, you could circle the earth for the rest of your life and never find the end of east. You could fly west around our planet a zillion times and never find a point where west meets east. The fact is, neither east nor west has an end, and the space between east and west is infinite.

When you trust in Jesus Christ and the sacrifice He made on Calvary, He forgives your sins and removes them from you as far as the east is from west. In other words, God will not judge you for the sins you have committed. He erases the penalty of those sins completely.

Are there sins in your life that are burdening you? Have you ever trusted Christ and asked Him to forgive you of your sin? Have you committed sins since you became a Christian that you have not repented of? God will forgive you if you will pray and ask Him. What a comfort to know that your God will remove your sin as far as the east is from the west!

God forgives you when you repent of your sins, and He erases the penalty completely.

My Response:
» Are there sins in my life that I need to confess and turn from?

“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19)

Has anyone ever lied to you? When someone lies, it becomes harder for us to trust him. If he lied to us once, he might lie again. How can we ever be sure he is telling the truth?

God never lies. In fact, the Bible says in Titus 1:2 that He cannot lie. It goes against His perfect, holy nature to lie. He is absolutely truthful.

What are some things God tells us in His Word?

He says…

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

“Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37).

“I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions” (Isaiah 44:22).

“I have loved thee with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3).

“I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5).

“I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:3).

Do you believe these things? Remember, the God who says these things to you cannot lie.

Everything God tells us in His Word is true, because God cannot lie.

My Response:
» Am I doubting anything that God has said in His Word?

“I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, ‘What doest thou?’” (Daniel 4:34-35)

Hunter and Cammie were playing on the dirt pile in the back yard. “I’m the king of the mountain!” yelled Hunter from the top of the pile, his arms raised high in the air.

“Not so fast, there!” yelled Cammie as she charged up toward him and attempted to take his place. As she pushed him out of the way, she exclaimed, “Now I’m the queen of the mountain!”

Laughing and out of breath, Hunter gasped, “So what does the queen of the mountain actually rule over?”

“Whatever she wants, of course!” replied Cammie, grinning.

Maybe, like Hunter and Cammie, you might like to be a ruler of some kind, in control of something – if only over something as small as a dirt pile. But do you remember Who is really in charge of everything? In Scripture, God is called “the Most High God.” Do you know why He is called that? He is called “the Most High God” because He is the most high! He has more authority and power than anyone else. He created the universe, and He controls the universe He created! He does whatever He sees fit to do. No one is in a position to question Him!

The truth that God is the Most High God should be encouraging, if you belong to Him. He has all things under perfect control. But at the same time, this truth should be a reminder that you are not the one in charge; God is. He has the right to “call the shots” when it comes to your life, and He carries out His own plans in His own way and in His own good time – because He is the Most High God.

God rules over everything and does everything He knows to be best for His glory and for our good.

My Response:
» Do I thank the Most High God that He rules over everything – even situations that are hard for me to understand?
» Do I submit in spirit when the Most High God controls things in my life, or am I trying to “call the shots” myself?

 “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” (Matthew 7:11)

Have you ever spent a long time trying to find just the right gift for someone? It may have been for Christmas, for a birthday, or for another special occasion. Sometimes you buy gifts, and sometimes you make them; but you still put time and thought into what you decide to give. Your dad has to get just the right tie, and your mom needs the best-written poem. Your sister can’t get just any game. It’s so exciting to watch your loved one’s face as he or she opens up that good gift after you have put so much into choosing or making it.

Have you ever asked for something for months – and then finally received just what you’d been wanting? What a great feeling! You definitely feel loved when you get that specific thing you’ve been wanting for so long. Imagine that for months – like starting in the summer – whenever your family members ask what you want for Christmas, you say you would really like a new electronic game system. Over and over they hear you say it: A new game system. Now imagine that Christmas morning finally arrives, and there under the tree is a new game system! Wow! For you, that would be a good gift!

You love to give and to get good gifts. But the Bible talks about a big difference between just good gifts and perfect gifts. The apostle Matthew wrote that if a son were to ask his father for some bread to eat, no good father would give him a stone to eat instead. Similarly, no good mother would give her daughter a snake to eat if her daughter were to ask for some fish. Parents often seem to know how to give pretty good gifts. They know you well and try to get things for you that you need or will like. They also know what you don’t need to get – sometimes they know that better than you do! You’ve probably experienced that kind of parental goodness before, too – some time when you didn’t get something you’d asked for because your parents knew that it was not the best thing for you to have.

As good as your earthly parents might be at giving good gifts, the heavenly Father is the only One Who can give perfect gifts. James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights.” Now that’s exciting! Even better than your earthly loved ones, your heavenly Father knows exactly what you need and don’t need. He can make sure you receive the right things. You can trust His perfect goodness and His perfect gifts.

We may know how to give good gifts, but God knows how to give perfect gifts.

My Response:
» Am I looking to earthly good gifts to make me happy, or to God’s perfect gifts?
» How can I help others hope in God Himself?