2. Ask God For Help. In II Corinthians 12:9, God tell us “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness. Think about that for a moment. In our times of weakness, we can count on God to be strong for us. If we team up with God, we can conquer anything. Romans 8:37 promises that “we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”

Philippians 4:13 states that “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

Never be afraid to ask God for help because without Him, beating a bad habit is like digging yourself out of bottom of Grand Canyon. It’s an uphill battle.

3. Make A Decision. I will–when said together, those two words can be strongest words in English language. Why? Because they denote choice. Even in Garden of Eden, we find humans making their own choices. Eve could have chose not to talk to serpent. She could have decided not to eat fruit. Adam could have refused fruit when Eve offered it to him.

Every day we make choices. Will I have soup or salad? Will I cheat at golf? Will I give back extra change cashier gave me? Every day we make up our minds to do right thing or to do wrong thing. But when faced with a choice, humans usually choose wrong thing because it is easier to give into temptations than to say “no.”

So, we must train ourselves to choose right option. Whenever you have to choose between right and wrong, take a moment and determine which is wrong option and which is right. If you don’t know, ask yourself what would happen if you picked a certain option. If it would result in someone being hurt or in something that is contrary to God’s Word, it is wrong choice.

4. Find Someone To Talk To. James 5:16 advises us to “Confess your faults one to another that ye may be healed...” As I said before, when we leave things in dark, they continue to have a hold over us. In order to stop this cycle, we must find someone to confess our habits and addictions to. Once it is out in open, then you will begin to heal in that area of your life. Make sure to find someone you can trust to talk to. You don’t want your sins to be broadcast all over your church, your neighborhood or your school. Instead go to your minister, youth pastor, parents, school counselor or a close friend.

Expose your bad habits and addictions to God’s light, and you will be amazed at how quickly they will crumble under heat.

For remembering names, devise a relationship between name and physical characteristics of person. For example, Shirley Temple might be remembered as having “curly”--which rhymes with Shirley--hair around her temples.

When you have an ordered or an unordered list you need to memorize, you can create a story linking ideas together. The more crazier, better. If your vocabulary words are success, assistant, cemetery, scrutinize, you might create a story of a successful assistant scrutinizing tombstones in a cemetery, searching for her boss’ grave.

Studying For Tests

Write down a study checklist of what will be covered on test. Make a list of notes, formulas, ideas and text assignments that you are responsible for.

Create flashcards--put topics or questions on front and answers on back. Have a friend, parent or sibling quiz you. Keep running through flashcards while you brush your teeth, are on bus, when you are in restroom and when you are doing chores.

Produce a mock test. One with only questions and another with only answers. Hide answers in a drawer or give them to a parent. Take test and when completed, compare your responses with ones on answer sheet. Keep repeating this process until you know material backward and forward.

If you want to make studying for a test fun, team up with a friend and play game show Twenty-One. A parent or sibling should host , reading off questions. You and your friend compete against each other until one of you reaches twenty-one points.

Avoid Getting Involved In Too Many Activities

If you want to participate in an extracurricular activity, you can reschedule your study time. However, if baseball, ballet or any other activities make you stay up late trying to finish your homework, then you are involved in too many activities.

Play Educational Games

After homework is finished, pull out a board game. Monopoly encourages mental calculation when counting money and determining moves, and Clue requires logical deductive skills. Try to figure out measurements when doubling a recipe in kitchen.

Playing word games with your family or friends can improve spelling skills. Scrabble, anagrams, Wheel of Fortune and word jumbles can teach you to spell new words.

II Timothy 2:15 says to study to show yourself approved unto God.

If you care enough about your grades to take time to develop conscientious study habits, you receive better marks, learn self-discipline and will have more options when it comes to selecting colleges. No matter what you choose to do in life, you should have a good education to fall back on. Not everything in life comes easy. The key is to make up your mind to work hard for things you want. And not to let anyone or anything get in your way.