Being Different
In this world, you may come across many people. Some people that you meet may have limitations and difficulties in different areas of life. For these people who have certain limitations, life can be really challenging in different ways.
If you are someone who struggles with certain things, or have limitations, I want you to know that you are not alone. God loves you so much, and has given you many special gifts, that others may not have.
Sometimes it’s hard to see these special gifts that we all have, because many times we focus on what we can’t do. But always remember that you are very precious to God, and even though you may go through personal struggles, He is always with you. It is normal to sometimes see ourselves as someone different, instead of someone unique and created in the image and likeness of God. We need to remember that physical limitations are only present on this earth. One day if we are faithful to God and enter Heaven, we will be perfect and made anew.
1 Peter 4:10
Each of you received a spiritual gift. God has shown you his grace in giving you different gifts. And you are like servants who are responsible for using God’s gifts. So be good servants and use your gifts to serve each other.
When Life Gets hard
Believing in God can sometimes be really hard. It can especially be hard when things go wrong in our lives. It can be very easy to get angry with God, or very upset when things get difficult, but we must try our hardest to trust that God will help us and give us what we need. No one knows why God allows bad things to happen, because God loves us and he doesn't want us to be upset.
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We must remember that God loves us so much and that He is always with us no matter what. God wants us to pray to Him for help because He cares for us. God hears all of our prayers, but sometimes he doesn't give what we want straight away. Sometimes we need to be patient and trust that things will be be okay, even though it can be hard at the moment.
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We mustn't forget that God cares and loves us so much. If we are patient and pray to the Lord as much as we can, He will be very happy and reward us.
Romans 8:18
We have sufferings now. But the sufferings we have now are nothing compared to the great glory that will be given to us.
The Problem with Evil
The devil is the villain of our life story. Villains sadly aren't just in fairytales. The devil, who is called Satan, does not love us at all. Satan does not want us to be happy, and he wants to destroy our lives.
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But the devil is subtle and cunning; which means that he is good at hiding his wickedness and he has skills in trying to make us follow after him. The devil pretends to be our friend and to care for us, but he doesn't. He may sometimes pretend to give us gifts; but those gifts are worth nothing. He is never our friend. Nothing about the devil is good. He is the opposite to God.
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Many books and movies have the theme of good vs evil. One movie where evil is shown in different ways is Disney's "The Little Mermaid". In the movie Ariel, who is daughter of the King, does not like being told what to do and wants to be a human instead of a mermaid. She wants to meet a good looking young man in person that she sees earlier, and wants to be with him. The sea witch, Ursula, knows that Ariel wishes for this the most, and she also knows that if she can destroy Ariel's life, she can destroy the King. But Ursula is subtle and cunning; she pretends to help Ariel by giving her what she wants and promising that she can have her wish always if Prince Eric kisses Ariel in 3 days. Ursula also wants to have Ariel's voice for a payment for giving her what she wanted. However, then Ursula transforms herself into a beautiful women and uses Ariel's voice to try to get the attention of Eric and to ruin Ariel's chances of getting her kiss.
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The devil is very good at lying, and not keeping his promises. The devil doesn't want us to be friends with God. He hates God so much that he hates anything that God loves, including us. The devil will go to extreme lengths to try and take us away from God's love. many times the devil will tell us to do something bad, like being mean, or hurting a friend, or other bad things. But we should never listen to the devil. We should always ask God for help if you ever have bad ideas. God loves us so much, and He will help us to fight against evil.
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1 Peter 3:9
Do not do wrong to a person to pay him back for doing wrong to you. Or do not insult someone to pay him back for insulting you. But ask God to bless that person. Do this, because you yourselves were called to receive a blessing.
Bible Passages to use in Hard Times
The Bible, especially in the Psalms, is filled with passages that show God's love and care for us. I want to share some of my favourite verses that are a good reminder that God is with us always!
Deuteronomy 31:8
The Lord himself will go before you. He will be with you. He will not leave you or forget you. Don’t be afraid. Don’t worry.
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Psalm 145:18-19
The Lord is close to everyone who prays to him,
to all who truly pray to him.He gives those who fear him what they want.
He listens when they cry, and he saves them.
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Isaiah 41:10
So don’t worry, because I am with you.
Don’t be afraid, because I am your God.
I will make you strong and will help you.
I will support you with my right hand that saves you.
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Jeremiah 29:11
I say this because I know what I have planned for you,” says the Lord. “I have good plans for you. I don’t plan to hurt you. I plan to give you hope and a good future.
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Matthew 11:28
Come to me, all of you who are tired and have heavy loads. I will give you rest.
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John 16:33
“I told you these things so that you can have peace in me. In this world you will have trouble. But be brave! I have defeated the world!”
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Romans 15:13
I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much joy and peace while you trust in him. Then your hope will overflow by the power of the Holy Spirit.
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Revelation 21:4
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, sadness, crying, or pain. All the old ways are gone.
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