All my attention had been focused on things that ultimately didn\u2019t matter. Twenty years from now my being offline and away from Pawn Stars reruns won\u2019t matter. But being so distracted I forgot to pray for my family and the kids I serve at church?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That could have eternal consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you\u2019re aware God is with you, you begin viewing people through God\u2019s eyes: beloved children who either know Him or need to. <\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n In this lesson series<\/a> you\u2019ll help kids discover something you already know: God is with you. Crises, work demands, relationship meltdowns\u2014He\u2019s ready and willing to walk through all of them with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But, if you\u2019re like me, at precisely those moments you most need to lean on God you sort of forget He\u2019s there. Instead of inviting Him into our challenges we leap into problem-solving mode to handle situations ourselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Which doesn\u2019t always end well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, in this God With Us<\/em> series, join your kids in letting the truth of God\u2019s presence sink deeply into your heart. Consider these lessons not just content to teach, but truth to learn (or re-learn) as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Why? Because staying mindful God is with you changes your perspective in profound ways\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n My prized electronics are guaranteed to one day become recycled landfill. But the people I met as I tried to replace those electronics\u2014they\u2019re eternal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Had I been mindful God was with me on those many phone calls would I have been more patient? Kinder? More understanding?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes\u2026because I\u2019d have remembered I\u2019m called to bring the Kingdom of God into every encounter<\/a> I have with others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Getting my stuff was important, but nowhere near as important as the people I met while getting it. How I reflected the love of God to those people mattered far more than whether I had to wait an extra week for a router.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s one thing to know God is with you. It\u2019s another to feel it.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n When you\u2019re aware God is with you, you begin viewing people through God\u2019s eyes: beloved children who either know Him or need to. The Holy Spirit<\/a> prompts you to see the difference between temporary and eternal, and to keep first things first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That bolt of lightning threaded its way between tall trees to zap my rooftop. Later I found myself thinking, God, I\u2019m on your team, remember? You couldn\u2019t have nudged that bolt a bit to the left or right?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Which was precisely the wrong question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nothing in Scripture promises earthly life will be easier for us as Jesus-followers. If anything, we\u2019re warned it will be more<\/em> difficult, more<\/em> likely to include misunderstandings, persecution, and spiritual warfare. Perhaps even an occasional lightning strike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When we\u2019re mindful God is with us, we stop asking Him to protect us from problems<\/a>. Instead, we ask how He wants to work in and through us no matter what happens. We no longer feel short-changed if it\u2019s our house on the block lit by lightning. Instead we ask, What are you doing here and how can I cooperate with You?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s one thing to know God is with you. It\u2019s another to feel it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this series you\u2019ll help kids not just know<\/em> God is with them\u2014you\u2019ll help them feel<\/em> it, too. Lean into those moments in each lesson where kids directly encounter God in prayer, worship, and meditation\u2014that\u2019s where kids learn how it feels to be hugged by God, to hear His voice, to feel His presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And that\u2019s where you\u2019ll encounter Him as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s a peace that passes understanding and it comes when we\u2019re living in the presence of God. That\u2019s where there\u2019s less to fear, less need to pretend we\u2019re in control. We move through our days confident God is aware of what\u2019s happening, and that, ultimately, He\u2019ll use it for our good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our perspective flips from poor me<\/em> to Praise God<\/em> and that\u2019s where peace and hope reside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For you, for me, and for your kids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When the Holy Spirit cements in your kids an awareness God is with them, everything changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They see themselves clearly\u2014as beloved children of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They don\u2019t fear loneliness\u2014because they know they\u2019re not alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And they look to their futures with confidence, aware God is with them now and will be forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019re praying for you as you bring this truth to the kids you love: God Is With Us<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\t\t4 Ways Knowing God is with Us Changes Our Perspective<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Your focus shifts from the temporary to the eternal.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You ask better questions.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You fully realize you\u2019re not alone.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You experience peace\u2014and hope.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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