During the lesson, the information for you to know is written in regular type, and what we suggest speaking or reading aloud to children is in bold. All resources for this lesson, including the Teacher Guide, Student Page, Family Connection Card, and other resources can be downloaded in a ZIP file by clicking on the following link:
In some lessons you will find "resource articles." These are articles written by experts from around the world to help equip you for your work with children and adolescents. Share them with parents or guardians if you consider it appropriate.
Before class, create a shield by punching a small hole on each side of the width of the cardboard. Then tie the piece of rope or twine through the holes to create a handle for the shield. Crumple up the paper or cloth into soft ball. Go outside or clear an open area in your teaching space for the game in the Connecting section.
He will cover you with his wings. Under the feathers of his wings you will find safety. He is faithful. He will keep you safe like a shield or a tower. You won’t have to be afraid of the terrors that come during the night. You won’t have to fear the arrows that come at you during the day.
Psalm 91:4–5
Although we know Jesus has already conquered sin and death, living in this world means we are in a battle between good and evil. Jesus fought Satan with Scripture, and we can find safety in God’s Word too. With God’s Word hidden in our hearts, we do not need to fear the flaming arrows of the devil. We do not need to be afraid of the terrors that come during difficult times of darkness. God is faithful, and His Word can protect us from the lies and doubts that creep into our hearts and minds.
What arrows are you faced with? Are there any that seem to fly at you regularly? If there are, look for a Bible verse that speaks God’s truth to you. When you read His Word, it can help protect your mind and spirit from the lies and doubts thrown at you. Remember you are never alone.
Encourage families to talk about the ways armour protects soldiers in battle. Ask that those families who have Bibles pick them up to strengthen themselves for spiritual battle. Encourage them to read Ephesians 6:10–20 together.
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
Greet the children as they enter your class. Ask them how they shared Jesus with others last week. When you are ready to begin, ask the children to line up along 1 side of the teaching area and sit down. Pick up the hats to show the children.
Today we will learn more about God’s armour. We will talk about some important pieces of armour that help us when we are faced with bad and difficult things. I have in my hands 2 hats. We will pretend these hats are helmets.
What does a helmet protect?
A helmet protects your head.
Why might a helmet be important?
Allow 2–3 children to respond.
A helmet protects your head. In God’s armour, a helmet protects your thoughts and helps you think of what is right and true. I will place the helmets in the middle of our space. If you would like to lead a team today, you will race to the helmets. The first 2 children to reach them will be team leaders. If you would like to lead a team, stand up. Ready? Go!
The first 2 children to reach the hats will put them on. They will be the team leaders. They will stand in the middle of your space. The others will return and sit with the rest of the children.
Designate the team leaders as 1 and 2. Then give each child a number 1 or 2. The children with number 1 will go with team leader number 1. The children with number 2 will go with the team leader number 2. The children will form a circle around their team’s leader. The children in each circle will hold hands and face out away from their leader. The teams should be spread out enough so that there is about 2 meters between them.
Now that your teams are in place, you will listen to your team leader. You are to act like a shield to protect your leader. Your leader will tell your circle to move back, forward, or to a side. Your team must move around your leader because he cannot move.
Your leaders will take turns choosing someone from the other team to try to enter your circle by breaking the handhold of 2 children from your team. If your team does not allow the runner to get through a handhold, the runner will join your team. If she does break the handhold, she will take the 2 children who were holding hands back to her team. The team with the most children at the end of the game, wins.
Team 1, you may ask for the first child to come try to break your shield.
Allow the teams to take turns asking children to run at their shields for about 5 minutes. Announce the winning team with the most children. Gather the hats from the team leaders. Then ask the children to sit in 1 large circle with you.
Our game today was a lot like a battle. You had to be on guard for children running inside your circle. You had to listen to your leader. Your team had to work together. Your circle acted like a shield protecting your leader.
Today, we will learn about the helmet, shield, and sword in God’s armour. These pieces all work together to protect us from the things our greatest enemy throws at us. Let’s listen to what the Bible says about some pieces of armour and how they work together.
Also, pick up the shield of faith. With it you can put out all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Put on the helmet of salvation. And take the sword of the Holy Spirit. The sword is God’s word.
Ephesians 6:16–17
The “evil one” is also known as the devil. The devil tries to trick people and make them believe lies. Let’s listen to a story about how the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Holy Spirit work together to help defend us against evil.
Optional: If possible, share the image from The Action Bible.
The Bible tells the true story of what happened after Jesus was baptised. The Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness. There, He did not eat or drink for many days. That is when the devil came to Jesus and tempted Him. The devil knew Jesus was hungry, so the devil told Jesus to turn some stones into bread. Listen to what Jesus said to him:
Jesus answered, “It is written, ‘Man must not live only on bread. He must also live on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Matthew 4:4
We need God’s Word! Jesus knew the Scriptures, so He answered the devil by saying these words that come from the book of Deuteronomy. He used the Scriptures as a defence against the devil. The devil did not give up though. He tempted Jesus 2 more times.
The second time, the devil wanted Jesus to jump from a very high place because he said the angels would keep Him from getting hurt. Jesus answered with this:
Jesus answered him, “It is also written, ‘Do not test the Lord your God.’ ”
Matthew 4:7
Jesus protected His mind from what the devil was trying to get Him to do. The third time the devil, also called Satan, tempted Jesus by promising good things if Jesus worshipped him. Listen to what the Bible says happened next.
Jesus said to him, “Get away from me, Satan! It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God. He is the only one you should serve.’ ” Then the devil left Jesus. Angels came and took care of him.
Matthew 4:10–11
Every time the devil tempted Jesus, Jesus used the sword of the Holy Spirit by saying what is in the Scriptures. Jesus picked up the shield of faith, knowing God was with Him. This kept out the devil’s evil words that tried to trick Jesus into doing wrong. Finally, Jesus is the Saviour. He knew God’s plan for the world. He knew God would win the war against the devil, so He did not take His thoughts off God’s goodness and love.
Jesus showed us how to use the Scriptures and our faith in God to fight our enemy. So how can you practice holding the shield of faith, protecting your thoughts with the helmet of salvation, and fighting with the sword of the Holy Spirit?
Let’s talk more about the sword. Think about a Bible verse you have memorised. Maybe it is one of our memory verses from class. Perhaps it is a verse you memorised somewhere else. If you would like to share your verse with the class, stand up.
Give the pretend sword to the first child to respond. Ask him to pass the sword carefully as other children stand up to share. Allow 3–4 children to respond. Only call on those children who are standing.
It is helpful to know Bible verses for many reasons. These verses can help you to know the truth about who God is and what is right. These verses can also help you to fight back when others say things you know are not true or when you think thoughts that you know are not true.
In the same way, knowing Bible verses can help protect your mind. You know Jesus died for your sins because you have heard and read many Bible verses about this. When you believe this, your mind is protected from lies that try to tell you His salvation is not for you or is not enough. This is the helmet of salvation.
What might cause you to doubt God’s love for you?
Allow 2–3 children to respond.
How can you put on the helmet of salvation to protect you from these doubts?
Answers may include: I can read the Bible. I can think about what Jesus did to save me from sin. I can pray for God to help me know the truth.
As we saw in our first activity today, the shield of faith can also protect us from the doubts and fears the devil throws at us. We can use our own shields to keep these things out or we can work together to create a fortress to protect us against the devil’s lies.
When you put together all of the pieces of God’s armour, you can put up your shield knowing God will protect you from the lies, fears, and doubts the devil creates. Knowing what the Bible says, praying, and believing that Jesus offers us truth and salvation help to protect you.
Ask for 1 volunteer to keep score. Be sure this is a child who will be able to pay attention to the scores of both teams. Give this child a piece of cardboard, paper, or a space in the dirt and something to write with. Have the child divide the writing space into 2 sections.
Divide the rest of the children into 2 equal groups. Have the 2 groups gather in a different area of the space. Pick up the ball made of soft material.
Let’s play a game to help us practice putting up the shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Holy Spirit. In a moment, I will start throwing the ball at each team. This ball represents the lies, doubts, and fears the devil uses to try to trick us. In a moment, someone on your team will step up and put on the helmet of salvation. He and his team will then think of a Bible verse.
The child will say the Bible verse, and then he may choose to either put up the shield or swing the sword as I throw. If he is not hit by the ball, he will score a point for his team. If he bounces the ball back at me, his team will earn 2 points. The scorekeeper will mark the points for each team. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins.
Choose a team to go first. Give the team 30 seconds to think of a Bible verse. If the team struggles to think of a verse, suggest saying a memory verse they have learned. If the team still cannot think of a verse, you may start saying a memory verse and allow the team to finish it. Once the team has said its Bible verse, ask a child from that team to choose a cardboard sword or shield and stand 1–2 meters from you.
Throw the ball. If the child blocks your ball, award the team 1 point. If the child hits the ball back at you, award the team 2 points. Then allow a child from the other team to play.
Continue playing for about 5 minutes. Announce the winning team. After the game is over, ask the children to sit in their normal places.
This game was a fun way of showing you the importance of knowing what the Bible says. With God’s Word, we are both protected and able to defend ourselves against lies, fears, and doubts. These are powerful spiritual weapons!
Optional: If you are using the Student Pages, give the children crayons and allow 2–3 minutes for them to draw a way they can put on a piece of armour shown in the picture.
Let’s say a prayer to help us put on God’s armour. I will say a line and you can repeat it after me.
Say the following prayer, pausing after each line to allow the children to repeat after you.
Now let’s say our memory verse to help us remember to always put on all of the armour of God!
If you are using the Memory Verse Poster, show it to the students.
Finally, let the Lord make you strong. Depend on his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor. Then you can remain strong against the devil’s evil plans.
Ephesians 6:10–11
Now let’s say our memory verse to help us remember to always put on all of the armour of God!
End class by saying this blessing, based on Ephesians 6:16–17, over the children.
Blessing: May you pick up the shield of faith and the sword of the Holy Spirit, which is the word of God, to battle all the lies and deceptions of the evil one. May you put on the helmet of salvation because you remember Jesus’ great love for you as He died on the cross and rose again.
Lead the children in singing this quarter’s song, if possible.
Life on Life ©2020 David C Cook. Reproducible for home or classroom use only. All other uses require written permission from David C Cook [email protected]. All rights reserved.
