Prayer: Lord, You are so amazing. Thank You for guiding me. You always know what’s best for me. I can’t make it without You. Help me to stay focused on You and practice Your Word. In Jesus’s name. Amen
Scripture: And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Matt. 7:28-29 NKJV
Are things in your classroom not going as smoothly as you’d like? That probably has been the case in many classrooms. It may have occurred on more than one occasion as well. I remember the morning the superintendent’s office staff was scheduled to visit the classrooms at my former school. Well, the principal had already had the “talk” with us. We were all expected to be giving intense vocabulary instruction when the anticipated visitors peeked into our classrooms. I was prepared. My lesson was ready on my SmartBoard, students were seated, and then the worst happened.
Just as the superintendent was opening my door, two of my students began fighting. From the observers’ point of view, it probably seemed as if I had given my students idle time instead of teaching. Honestly, that wasn’t the case. This particular school year had been my hardest, but I kept pushing.
There was something that I wasn’t using in my classroom that morning. Jesus used it (Matthew 7:29). What did He use that I didn’t? Authority! I wasn’t using my God-given authority described in Luke 10:19: “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
I encourage you to use your authority in your classroom to bind (Matthew 18:18) every spirit of distraction, division, discouragement, and defeat. It’s so reassuring to know that the Word of God offers solutions to every problem.
Copyright Niccori Thomas-Brown.
If you’ve enjoyed this devotion, Niccori shares more in her book, Doing All God Has Called You To Do: A Devotion For Novice Teachers.
To connect with Niccori, email niccorithomas@gmail.com.
