1 + 1 = ?

Do you know what 1 + 1 is? You might say, "Duh! It's so obvious! It's 2!" But, what if I ask, "How do you know whether 1 + 1 was 3 long time ago. And, how do you know whether 1 + 1 will change to 100 in the future?" Ok, I will stop being silly. You are right. 1 + 1 is always 2. It was so long time ago, and it will be so, in the future as well.

Do you realize in this life there are things that never change? Just as 1 + 1 is "always" 2, God says His words are "always" true as well. That means God's words were true 1000 years ago. And, His words will be true 1000 years from now on as well. Although everything around us may change, God's words never change. They are true all the time. So, we can trust in them.

"Every word of God proves true..." (Proverbs 30:5, NLT).

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Bird

"Ah, I am so worried. I don't know what to eat for dinner... What do I do?" Did you ever hear a bird say that? You see, even though the birds have no home and no refrigerator to keep their foods, they are not worried at all about anything in this life! Because they know God takes care of them. And, God says you are more precious than the birds. That means God loves you more than he loves the birds. So, if God feeds and takes care of the birds, will He not take care of you? So, why worry any more?

"So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What shall we eat? what will we drink? what will we wear?'" (Matthew 6:31, NLT).

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1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, ~~~~

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12... 1000, 1001..." Do you know how many hairs do you have? Have you tried to count them? You see, counting the number of our hairs will take forever! But, the Bible says, God knows the exact number of hairs on our heads, even without counting. That means, God knows everything about us, even very small things. So, we don't need to worry about anything in this life. When we become worried, we can simply pray to God. He knows everything about us.

"And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid..." 
(Luke 12:7, NLT).

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Icecream

Have you ever been distracted before? Maybe you were working on your homework so hard. And then all of sudden, you heard your brother exclaim, "ICECREAM!" You know what this is called? The voice of distraction!

One time, Peter saw Jesus walking on the water. So amazed, Peter shouted, "Jesus! Can I walk on the water too? I want to try!" "Come," replied Jesus. Right then, Peter started walking on the water. He was doing very fine, until he saw the waves and winds around him. Then, Peter became afraid. And, he began sinking. "Jesus! Save me!" cried out Peter. Of course, loving Jesus came for help, and Peter was safe.

Do you know why Peter began sinking? You see, Peter was doing fine as long as he was looking at Jesus. But, the moment he saw the winds, he was distracted! And, that's when he started falling! You see, in our lives, as long as we trust Jesus, everything will be fine. Even the waves and winds cannot make us fall. But, it's when we start getting distracted, we become afraid and start falling. So, when distractions come around you to make you see the waves and winds, don't be distracted. Keep your eyes on Jesus Christ.

"Immediately Jesus saved him. 'You have so little faith.' Jesus said, 'Why did you doubt'" 

(Matthew 14:31, Paraphrase).

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Horse

Have you seen a horse run? They are very fast and strong animals. Watch how the horse runs:

Isn't it amazing how the horse runs? Full of vigor! Full of strength! Unstoppable! But, do you know what God said about horses in the Bible? In the Old Testament times, God told His people not to have many horses? The reason? God knew that horses were strong animals. So, once people start having many horses, God knew that they would no longer trust Him. That's why God told people not to have many horses, lest they do not trust Him anymore.

What is your horse? Something that makes you not trust God? For some people, they think if they have money, they don't have to trust God. Other people think if they have popularity, they don't need to trust God. For you, what is your horse? Remember God wants you to trust Him alone!

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God” 

(Psalm 20:7, NIV). 

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Rock

When you think of a Rock, what comes to your mind? "Solid, strong, safe, stable, secure " are some of the words that come across our minds. Rock is so solid, it is so strong, it is so stable, that no storm can shake the rock, or shatter it! Rock is strong!

Do you who in the Bible is characterized as rock? In Psalms, David says, "God is my Rock!" That means, our God is super strong God, that when we hide in Him, nothing can shake us. God is our stability, in times of scary storms in our lives. So, when you go through storms of life and get scared, take shelter in Him. For sure, you will be safe!

"The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior" 

(2 Samuel 22:2, NLT). 

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Chair

When you sit on a chair (not broken), did you ever wonder? "Mmm.. I am not sure if that chair is gonna hold me. I wonder if it is strong enough to bear my weight." Have you ever thought like that? Probably not. When you sit on a chair (not broken), you just sit on it, without a question of doubt.

This is kind of like what it looks like for us to trust God. When we trust God, we never doubt, "Mmm... I am not sure if God is going to take care of. I am not sure if God is going to love me." We never raise those dobuts. Just as we sit on a chair with no question of doubt, we trust God for everything with no question of doubt as well. Because we can always trust Him.

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, being convinced of what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1).

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Leap of Faith!

Watch this video!

Isn't that dog amazing? The little adorable dog, even though scared to death, took a leap of faith! Flung right into the owner's arm, trusting "My owner is gonna catch me, when  I fall!" What a leap of faith!

Do you realize sometimes God wants us to take a leap of faith as well? For example, God may ask us to do things that we are scared of. But, God speaks to us, "You will be fine. Just trust me that I am gonna catch you when you fall. Jump!" In that moment, what do we do? Don't worry! Take a leap of faith! and... JUMP!

Short Pencil

Have you ever seen a short pencil? What can a short pencil do? They are so short! But, do you actually realize when even this short pencil is picked up and used by a great writer, it can write great stories? Or, if the short pencil is picked up and used by a great artist, then it can make a great drawing! All the pencil has to do is let the writer or artist use it!

Have you ever thought, “Man, I am too short! I am not smart! So, I am useless for anything?” Although you may have thought like that, God thinks differently. Because just as a short pencil can be used to write great stories and make great drawings, God too can use you to do great things! All you have to do is just tell God: “Here I am, please use me!”

“Yield yourself to God as tools for righteousness” (Romans 6:13, Paraphrase). 

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Real Faith

Do you know what faith is? Faith is “believing” in something. Watch this video, and see how this young girl was able to make the bold move and jump off the cliff!

Wow, that looked pretty scary! So, how was it that this brave girl was able to jump off the cliff? Well, she believed in the words of her teachers! Her teachers said, “It is going to be ok! You will be fine!” She believed their words and courageously jumped off the cliff! YAY!

Now do you know what REAL FAITH is? REAL FAITH is “believing” in whatever God says to be true. For example, in the times of Genesis, God told Noah to build an ark in the desert, because God said it’s going to rain for 40 days! Even though everyone laughed at Noah for building an ark in the desert, Noah built it. Because he believed that God’s words are always true. So, real faith is believing in whatever God says to be true.

What is God saying to you today? Can you show real faith by believing in His words? You can do it!

"Noah believed in God's words, even though he was not sure about it!" 

(Hebrews 11:7, Paraphrase)

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Fake Fears

During Halloween days, have you seen pumpkins carved out like these? When you saw them, did you ever get scared? Of course not! They are FAKE FEARS!

Once, Jesus’ disciples were sailing in the boat. Meanwhile, Jesus was too tired that he was taking some nap on the boat. Then, all of sudden, the winds and storms blew! And, the boat was about to be fallen over! The disciples were so scared that they screamed: “JESUS! WAKE UP! WE ARE DYING!”

But, when Jesus woke up, he wasn't happy. Not because they woke him up. No. Jesus wasn't happy, because his disciples were scared. Jesus knew that wind and storms were nothing but FAKE FEARS to make disciples scared. Jesus told them, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then, Jesus calmed the storm.

You see, when we believe in God, we have nothing to fear. All the fears around us are nothing but FAKE FEARS!

"You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" (Matthew 8:26, NIV)

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