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Jun 14, 2022 18:00pm

Faith TALK: Stepping Up Our Security in Christ

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(The following is a family devotional guide with suggested questions and scriptures.)

Focus Verse: “You will love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.” – Mark 12:30, spoken as an affirmation

T-Talk About It Topic

Who are you?

5 Minute Faith TALK Stepping up our Security PDF

What a question! This question, from the movie Overcomer, can cause us all to think about what our first response is. Your children may give any of the following answers: boy/girl, student, son/ daughter, or human/person. An adult may respond with their career choices like “teacher”, “coach”, “banker”, or even “mother/father.” After each response, say “And then…” to prompt them to continue telling you who they are until it all boils down to this truth: “I am a believer” or “I am a Christ follower.”

A-Anchor To The Bible

5 Minute Faith TALK Stepping up our Security PDF

After the above question is discussed, talk about the following truth (also from Overcomer): “Our identity is tied to whatever takes first place in our hearts.” God commands us in Deuteronomy 6:5 and Mark 12:30 to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. When we do, our security lies in Him…and our Creator gets to define his creation. What God thinks of us is far more than what we could ever imagine. In the Bible, when God first called Moses to save His people in Egypt from slavery, Moses’ first response was this: “I am a nobody.” (Ex. 3:11) (Just think about how many of our kids today think this EVERY DAY.) Not only did God promise Moses He would be with him but He also called Moses’ brother Aaron to help him. And you know what? God made Moses a somebody throughout this faith journey, somebody we are still talking about over 2,000 years later! Another example of God defining His creation is with Gideon. Gideon and the Israelites were hiding in the mountains against the Midianites, who would raid their crops and land. While Gideon was working on his crops, in secret, an angel of the Lord appeared and said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior!” Gideon, the youngest in his family, didn’t feel like a mighty warrior while hiding out, but by trusting God every step of the way, Gideon grew into his title: a mighty warrior who saved his people from the Midianites and restored dignity to them. God defined His creation with Abraham as well. God called Abram to leave a pagan land, asked him to go to a new land, and gave him this title: Father of Many Nations. The ironic thing was this: Abraham had no children. And yet, by trusting God every step of the way, Abraham grew into his title and became the “father” of the Jewish nation. Lastly, a young shepherd boy, who tended sheep all day, was given an unusual title: future king of Israel. Though it was many years before he stepped into that title, he trusted God every step of the way and became not only a great king but also a man who was after “God’s own heart.”

L-Learn God’s Word

Every man called by God didn’t feel like a “somebody”—a mighty warrior, the father of many nations, or even a king. But God defined His creation and chiseled their character to become what He had seen in them all along…and He does the same thing for us today. He has many important identities and titles for us and calls us to love Him and trust Him. By doing this, He will change our hearts and help us see ourselves as He sees us. When we do, it changes everything. Let’s go back to that statement above, “Our identity is tied to whoever takes first place in our hearts”…if we love God most, He gets to say who we are. That is why Mark 12:30 will be our memory verse this week!

K-Keep Each Other Accountable

Here are a few ideas to keep everyone in check with this week’s TALK:

In the movie Overcomer, the main character is torn and feeling lost when his identity (a coach) has suddenly changed. During this time of losing his confidence, he is asked by a stranger/hospital patient a question that will forever change his faith:

Who are you?

His answer began with “a coach”…but the stranger pressed him for more by saying “What if that was stripped away…then who are you?” The man rattled off some more titles—a history teacher, a father and husband, and a white American male… he finally reaches the only other answer he can give: “I am a Christian.” At that moment, the stranger told him this truth: “Something or someone will have first place in your heart…when you find your identity, it will change your whole perspective.” Since the main character’s identity had been a coach, his world was shaken when that had changed.

Whatever we make first in our hearts is our identity. When we make Jesus the Lord of our life and hearts, we will see our confidence and security grow stronger.

The power of the tongue can bring life or death…too many times, our kids can encounter it negatively in their school days. Starting their day off with an affirmation of who they are in Christ is a powerful way to speak security and confidence into their lives. How do you do it? You simply take a Bible verse, turn it into a statement beginning with “You…”, and speak it straight to your child as truth. Not only can you start their day off with truth and power, you are speaking prophecy into their lives!

Motivate each other to memorize our focus verse this week. Write the memory verse on a chalkboard and display it by the door. Have them say the verse each morning and initial they did so.