How To Survive Middle School And BeyondSample

Survival Skill 1: Prayer

Welcome to the Bible Plan on how to survive middle school—and beyond. 

Let’s get right to it. No need to put too many words in front of your eyes, right? You ready for the bottom line only four sentences in to this Bible Plan? Here goes: You need to build your spiritual muscles so you can survive the ups and downs of life. 

But how do you do that? 

Great question! You do that by strengthening your spiritual practices. Don’t worry. It’s just about doing a few things Jesus did to help Him stay close to God. We can do it, too. Sometimes it’s called a spiritual discipline or a spiritual habit. By the end of this Bible Plan, you will have learned four important spiritual survival skills that will set you up to live your life strong with God.

So, what’s today’s survival skill? It’s prayer! Today’s Bible reading is straight from Jesus on how to pray. Jesus tells us a model of how we can come to God with praise, ask for His will to be done, ask for God to give you what you need for the day, ask for forgiveness and for strength to forgive others. 

Your prayers don’t have to be fancy. They don’t have to be long. But, prayer should be a part of your life. It’s your way of talking to God! I mean—you’re talking to God! 

Watch this video for five great ways to pray—and to let prayer guide your life. 

Ask yourself: Which area do I need to focus on in my prayer: Looking back with gratitude for all God has done, looking up to focus my praise on who God is and His love for me, looking in to ask for strength and forgiveness for things I need to change, looking around to ask God to help people around me, or looking forward to share my dreams and hopes with God?  

Challenge yourself: Set a timer and spend five minutes talking with God in prayer right now. Set a reminder for yourself to stop and pray throughout your day. Maybe put a note on your bathroom mirror, under your pillow, in your closet, or anywhere you’ll see it every day. 

Pray: God, thank You for letting us talk with You whenever we want. Thank You for giving us strength and courage whenever we do. We love You. Help us remember to build our prayer muscles so we can have a closer friendship with You. In Jesus’ name, amen.