RCCG SUNDAY SCHOOL STUDENT’S MANUAL 12 february  2023, Lesson 24 – HANDLING CRUSHES

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RCCG SUNDAY SCHOOL STUDENT’S MANUAL
Y.A.Y.A. EDITION
LESSON: TWENTY-FOUR
DATE: SUNDAY 12TH FEBRUARY 2023

TOPIC: HANDLING CRUSHES

SUNDAY SCHOOL HYMN

1. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
   O how I love Thee well,
   I am happy, it makes me glad
   To rejoice at Thy birth.
2. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
   Thy friend friendship suits me well,
   Both young and will sing Thy song,
   We long for Sunday School.
3. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
   Christ was Thy first teacher,
   The Holy Spirit, great teacher,
   Does manifest in thee.
4. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
   This testimony is sure,
   That God, the Father Almighty,
   Poured His blessing on Thee
5. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
   Though the sun be so bright,
   Or if the clouds be black with rain,
   I’ll be in Sunday School.
6. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
   I rejoice to see Thee,
   Will thou pass over me today?
   Without my being blest?

MEMORY VERSE: “Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul”. — 1Peter 2:11

BIBLE PASSAGE: 2SAMUEL 13:1-15

1. And it came to pass after this, that Absalom the son of David had a fair sister, whose name was Tamar; and Amnon the son of David loved her.

2 And Amnon was so vexed, that he fell sick for his sister Tamar; for she was a virgin; and Amnon thought it hard for him to do anything to her.

3 But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonahdab, the son of Shimeah David’s brother: and Jonahdab was a very subtil man.

4 And he said unto him, Why art thou, being the king’s son, lean from day to day? wilt thou not tell me? And Amnon said unto him, I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.

5 And Jonahdab said unto him, Lay thee down on thy bed, and make thyself sick: and when thy father cometh to see thee, say unto him, I pray thee, let my sister Tamar come, and give me meat, and dress the meat in my sight, that I may see it, and eat it at her hand.

6 So Amnon lay down, and made himself sick: and when the king was come to see him, Amnon said unto the king, I pray thee, let Tamar my sister come, and make me a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat at her hand.

7 Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, Go now to thy brother Amnon’s house, and dress him meat.

8 So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house; and he was laid down. And she took flour, and kneaded it, and made cakes in his sight, and did bake the cakes.

9 And she took a pan, and poured them out before him; but he refused
to eat. And Amnon said, Have out all men from me. And they went out every man from him.

10 And Amnon said unto Tamar, Bring the meat into the chamber, that I may eat of thine hand. And Tamar took the cakes which she had made, and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother.

11 And when she had brought them unto him to eat, he took hold of her, and said unto her, Come lie with me, my sister.

12 And she answered him, Nay, my brother, do not force me; for no such thing ought to be done in Israel: do not thou this folly.

13 And I, whither shall I cause my shame to go? and as for thee, thou shalt be as one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, I pray thee, speak unto the king; for he will not withhold me from thee.

14 Howbeit he would not hearken unto her voice: but, being stronger than she, forced her, and lay with her.

15 Then Amnon hated her exceedingly; so that the hatred wherewith he hated her was greater than the love wherewith he had loved her. And Amnon said unto her, Arise, be gone.

INTRODUCTION
To ‘crush on someone’ is to have a feeling of romantic love for that person, especially someone you have have not met physically or have any relationship with. Furthermore, the way someone smells, laughs, or smiles can play role in creating a crush while the feelings accompanying a crush can be overpowering. Crushing on someone is synonymous with ‘infatuation’ (an obsessive focus on the opposite gender). This study will attempt to distinguish between crushes and real love as well as proffer a way to handle this feeling.

LESSON OUTLINE

1. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CRUSH AND REAL LOVE
2. HOW TO HANDLE CRUSHES

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CRUSH AND REAL LOVE

Crush may begin just the same way love does, but love goes beyond physically and emotional attraction s to a point of sacrificed actions (1Cor. 13:4-9). If you observe that you are only attracted to a person because of the person’s external beauty or friendliness, you are just crushing. You also need to know that whenever you discover that your thoughts toward a particular person are predominated by sexual fantasies, coupled with lustful thoughts, then, you might merely be crushing rather than loving. This should not be entertained beyond the first fleeting thought. Love is driven by commitment and patience while crush is driven by emotions, impatience, and satisfaction with one’s selfish desires. Love seeks to serve the other person and does what is best for them (1Cor. 13:4-7) while crush causes you to act foolishly, not caring about anyone but yourself and demanding fulfilment of your wants. Love is a fruit of the spirit (Gal. 5:22) while crush can be the spark that ignites sinful thoughts, such as lust. Love never fail but crush does (1Cor. 13:8).

HOW TO HANDLE CRUSHES

Crushes are natural emotional tendencies that can degenerate to sin if not properly managed. If you find yourself thinking day and night about one person, you may have crossed the line from a normal liking to an in healthy obsession. Seeking intimate times of fellowship with God can help keep the crush in perspective. You start by being honest with the Lord about your feelings, like the Psalmists (Ps. 38:9; 139:23). Ask Him to help you keep your thoughts pure and your action pleasing to him (Ps. 19:14). Ask God for wisdom to handle this difficult situation (Jam. 1:5). In addition, it is important for you to realize that lust is a bad substitute for love (2Sam. 13:15). Do not follow your lustful emotion (Rom. 6:12). Refuse to fuel your lust, walk in the spirit (Gal. 5:25). Confess the word of God to rid your heart of filth (Jn. 17:17). If you are a married person and you are attracted to another person, take time to build what you like in that person in your spouse. Above all, it is very important to seek wise and goodly counsel.

CONCLUSION
Do not run your feelings (Cor. 3:5), life decisions should be made through the guidance of the holy spirit and godly counsel (Prov. 24:6)

QUESTIONS

1. What does it mean to crush on someone?
2. Mention three ways to handle a crush.

Open Heavens 2021 Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC.

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