Thinking Problems

 

Do you have troubling thoughts? Do you think about bad things? 

If you answer yes, then it is time to learn how to drive away bad thoughts. The devil likes to trouble you by sending thoughts to your mind. However, even he can be defeated by throwing scripture at him. 

Here is the best scripture I have found for defeating bad, depressing thoughts. 

Philippians 4:8

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

You may not be able to control the thought that passes by, but you can decided whether or not to dwell on it. A wise person once said, "You can't keep a bird from flying over your head, but you can keep it from building a nest in your head." That means you can choice not to entertain bad thoughts. What I like to do is quote the above scripture until I have defeated the bad thought.  

What is the reason?

  My grandpa used to tell a story about one of his most memorable sermons that he preached. This sermon was inspired by an event that happened the night before he preached the sermon. In his story, he said that he got up to preach and said, "I beat the fire out of my wife last night, and I did right." The congregation gasped according to him. He then asked the congregation how many believed that he did wrong. Everyone raised their hand. He went on to explain that he did right, and it is not what you do as much as it is why you do it. He then explained that it was cold last night when his wife took a shower. After she got out, she put on her gown and backed up to the space heater. Her gown then caught fire. In her fear, she ran. He had run after her, caught her, and put her on the ground to beat the fire out of her. If he would not have beat the fire out of her, she could have died. He then asked then again if he had done right. Everyone agreed that he had done right. 

In the Bible Jesus implied that you could do things outwardly correctly but still not be right with him. Let's look at a few scriptures.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Matthew 23:27-28

According to this they appear righteous unto men, but they are full of sin. They are so busy trying to follow all the rules that they forget the most important. 

Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Matthew 15:7-9

It looks like it is a heart issue. Just doing things is not good enough. 

 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Matthew 7:22-23

From this we get that you must have a relationship with Jesus. Just keeping commandments and doing good will not get you to heaven. You cannot work your way to heaven. 

That is not to say that obeying the Bible is wrong. Jesus also said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." John 14:15. 

Now let's look at the teaching of Paul. 

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up. I Corinthians 13:1-4

Charity is translated love in many Bible translations. Jesus pointed out that they were doing things, but their hearts were far from him. Paul teaches that we need love. 

Jesus likewise teaches love.

Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, 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. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Matthew 22:36-40

We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. I John 4:6-8

If what you are doing for God is not based on love of God, please examine your motives and heart. You don't want to hear at the end of time, depart from me, I never knew you. 

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God's timeline

 

God has a plan. “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:” Acts 2:23. 

He has spoken the plan. “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;” Hebrews 1:1-2. 

Now he is completing the plan. “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.” Revelation 21:3-7.  

He gave his overarching plan to the Israelites in the form of his 7 Appointed times (feasts). “Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.” Leviticus 23:2. Those 7 times point to things that have happened and things that (at the time of the appointed times being given) were still to happen.

Please see the chart below. 

Real Learning

 

There is an old Chinese Proverb that says,

Tell Me and I Forget; Teach Me and I May Remember; Involve Me and I Learn

When trying to teach children, this is helpful to remember. Children need to be involved in what they are learning. Think about what you remember the best. If you are like me, you remember learning from your mistakes more than from your successes. You probably are more likely to remember things when you learned in some hands-on way. Now apply these memories to teaching your children. Involving the child in something hands-on that is fun creates a fun memory for the child. Because they are able to remember doing the activity, they have also learned the information. 

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Why Homeschool?

 

Homeschooling is the solution to a complicated problem. This problem should not be so complicated, but problems that has come from sin has made it complicated. 

Parents are commanded by God to teach their children. The Bible makes clear that education is to begin in the home (Gen. 18:19; Deut. 6:7; Prov. 22:6; Eph. 6:4; 2 Tim. 1:5; 3:15).

•  For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. Gen 18:19
• And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. Deut. 6:7
• Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6
• And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4
•  When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also. 2 Timothy 1:5
• And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 3:15

Another good reason for homeschooling is the world in which we are living in. The school are not the same as they were just 10 years ago. Just take a look at the average reading and math scores of the USA.  It is obvious that something has gone wrong with the instruction of reading, writing, and arithmetic. When you homeschool, you are directly involved in what your child is learning. You are able to catch learning problems earlier and start working on solutions to the problems. 

I hope that you will prayerfully consider the education of your children. 

Trust Jesus

 Many people including me say that we trust Jesus. But do we really trust him? I have been thinking about different people in history. The disciples for instance really put their trust in Jesus. They risked everything to spread his Word. The Apostle Paul thought nothing of his life. He was only concerned with reaching the lost for Jesus.

There have been countless missionaries who relied on Jesus for everything from where to live to what to eat. My daughter recently was learning about George Muller. He was a pastor who did not even except a salary but lived on donations. He then opened and successfully ran an orphanage without any dependable income. He relied on God to house, feed, and cloth all of those children.

So, do we really trust that Jesus will give us what we need? We are called to follow, trust, and obey Jesus. A wise pastor said, "God does not call the qualified, but equips the called." Basically, God does not want anyone to think that they can do it without the help and grace of God.

Here are some scriptures to meditate on:

Matthew 19:26 - But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

Luke 1:37 - For with God nothing shall be impossible.

Philippians 4:13 - I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Mark 10:27 - And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.

Mark 9:23 - Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

Matthew 17:20 - And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Isaiah 41:10 - Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Mark 11:24 - Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Luke 18:27 - And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.

Jeremiah 32:17 - 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:

Romans 8:31 - What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

Job 42:2 - I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.

Genesis 18:14 - Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

Jeremiah 32:27 - Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?

Isaiah 46:10 - Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

Proverbs 3:6 - In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

John 3:16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

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Life Skills for Children

 Children are in need of learning basic life skills. In the effort to help them be better able to keep up with technology, many people have forgotten that children also need to learn basic skills. A computer cannot do everything for you. So many teens and young adult get to college, and they still need someone to wash their clothes, make appointments for them, and cook their food. This is ridiculous. I am sorry but a bright young adult should be able to figure out how to do basic things. 

The lack of these skills demonstrates a lack of reading comprehension skills. 

Think about cooking. There are countless cookbooks written in very basic language for children. Please go to a library and check one out for your teens. Here is a list of some of my favorite ones: 

• Betty Crocker's cook book for boys and girls.
• Kids cook! :100+ super-easy, delicious recipes /
• American girl around the world cookbook 
• Get cooking / --Sam Stern's get cooking
• Kids cook 1-2-3 :recipes for young chefs using only 3 ingredients
• The Boxcar Children Cookbook
• The Berenstain Bear's Country Cookbook: Cub-Friendly cooking with an Adult

These are just some that I like to use with my children. However, there are hundreds. 

Think about washing clothes. Have you looked at the back of most laundry detergents? They have instructions. 

Think about how to schedule an appointment. You need to know how to look at a calendar- which involves reading it- and you must talk to the person on a phone. Which part is hard? In addition, there are many places that allow you to schedule online. These teens are supposed to know how to operate a computer. So please teach your children how to read a calendar and mark on the calendar important dates. 

Here is a website with links to sites that help teach other life skills. Many are useful things to know. Free Homeschool Life Skills Curriculum - Freedom Homeschooling