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 and Student Page, 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.
*These items are from previous lessons in this unit. If you do not have them already, you may look back at the previous lessons to prepare each item.
At all times, pray by the power of the Spirit. Pray all kinds of prayers. Be watchful, so that you can pray. Always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Ephesians 6:18
Prayer is powerful! After God instructs His people to put on His full armour, He emphasizes the importance of prayer. Good soldiers of Christ should pray at all times by the power of the Holy Spirit. In our spiritual battles, we are given armour that is defensive. But we are given 2 weapons that are offensive: the Word of God and prayer. Our battle is not against people but the work of evil and sin in this world. It can only be defeated by the power of our mighty God through His Word and prayer.
This verse tells us to pray all kinds of prayers at all times for all people. Think about what is happening around you right now. Maybe there is something happening to you or those you care about that seems to be rooted in evil. Perhaps there is a situation in your life caused by sin, resulting in suffering for you or others. What prayers will you offer up to the Lord amidst these situations? What will you ask God to do? What can you praise Him for? Praying His Word is powerful! When you pray, you strengthen yourself and others for the spiritual battle.
Encourage families to talk to their children about the importance of prayer. Ask the children to share “The Armour Prayer” with their families.
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
Welcome the children as they come to class.
We will start class with a prayer. Close your eyes and sit quietly while I pray for you.
God, help these children put on the belt of truth as they remember the truth of Your Word. Help them put on the breastplate of righteousness, knowing that because of Jesus they can be in relationship with You. Help them put on the shoes of peace so they can remember to share the good news. Help them pick up the shield of faith so they can put out the flaming arrows. Help them put on the helmet of salvation so they can remember You died for them. Help them pick up the sword of the Holy Spirit so they can remember to speak Your Word. In Jesus’ name, amen.
In this prayer, I asked God to help you put on His armor. It is important to understand you cannot fight the battle against evil with your own strength. You must rely on God’s mighty power to help you to be strong to fight against the devil’s evil plans.
I will lead you in praying this prayer, but this time we will pretend to put on the pieces of armor as we pray. To do that, we need to come up with motions that will help us remember to put on the armor.
Give the children 3–4 minutes to choose the motions they want to use. Then ask them to stand up as you pray together. Lead them in prayer, pausing after each line while they do the motions.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
It feels good to have God’s armor on! Now let’s learn more about praying against evil.
When you pray, you communicate with God. You talk to Him about what is troubling you and you share your joys and praises with Him. Praying honours God.
In the book of Acts in the Bible, there is a true story about how prayer can change a situation. Peter was arrested and put in prison, where he waited to go to trial. The church prayed and prayed for Peter. Let’s pretend that we are the people of the church who were praying for Peter.
Kneel or stand and say a brief prayer with the children asking God to help Peter. Also praise God for His power and His grace.
On the night before Peter went to trial, the people of the church began praying. As they prayed an angel appeared to Peter and set him free!
Have the children cheer with you.
Prayer is very powerful. God listens to our prayers. When we praise God or when we ask for His help, He listens. This does not mean we will never experience difficult times or get hurt. This does not mean that we will always see our situations change the way we hope they will. We might not experience miracles in the way Peter did, but we can trust that God is with us when we pray. His Word promises that He is good, He loves us, and He is always at work, even when we cannot see what He is doing.
Prayer strengthens you because it brings you closer to God. We pray that circumstances will be the way God wants them to be. Listen to what the Bible says about prayer and the armour of God.
At all times, pray by the power of the Spirit. Pray all kinds of prayers. Be watchful, so that you can pray. Always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Ephesians 6:18
Pray by the power of the Holy Spirit to remain strong. You can pray to God anywhere and anytime. There are many types of prayers that keep us thinking about God and bringing Him glory. These include prayers to help others, prayers of praise and thanks, and prayers that ask for what we need. Think for a moment about something you might want to pray about. As you are thinking, choose 1 thing you can ask God to help you or someone else with.
Give the children 30 seconds to think of something they would like to pray about.
As we pray, think about what you need God to help you with this week. When I pause, you may think this silently to yourself or whisper it quietly.
When a wrong or evil is happening or when you are faced with something difficult, it is important to ask God to cover you with His armour. The most difficult battle you will ever be part of is the battle against evil. The Bible explains:
Our fight is not against human beings. It is against the rulers, the authorities and the powers of this dark world. It is against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly world.
Ephesians 6:12
This verse says our fight is not against people on earth. Who is the battle against?
Answers may include: sin, death, evil, the devil, or a combination of these.
This battle is against the devil and sin. Our struggles and our pain may sometimes seem like they are too much for us, but that is why God gave us His Only Son. Jesus already won the battle over death and sin when He died on the cross and rose from the dead. The truth is, when you accept that Jesus died for your sins, you become part of your heavenly Father’s family. Listen to this Bible verse:
Dear children, you belong to God. You have not accepted the teachings of the false prophets. That’s because the one who is in you is powerful. He is more powerful than the one who is in the world.
1 John 4:4
The one in the world is the devil. How do you know God is more powerful than him?
Answers may include: God created everything. God is love, and love is more powerful than hate. God is more powerful than anything or anyone.
God is more powerful than anything or anyone who ever was or whoever will be. When you believe in Him, He can strengthen you with His armour and help you fight the battle against sin and evil. The Bible reminds us to:
Put on all of God’s armor. Then you can remain strong against the devil’s evil plans.
Ephesians 6:11
This verse says to let the Lord make you strong. You must first realize you are not strong all by yourself. God is your strength, and your relationship with Him protects you against the devil. This verse tells you to depend on God’s mighty power. You do not have the power to stand up to the devil’s evil plans on your own, but the Holy Spirit gives you power when you pray and put on all the armour of God.
At the beginning of class, we prayed as we put on the armor of God. What are the pieces of armor we put on?
The belt, breastplate, shoes, shield, sword, and helmet are the parts of the armour.
Remember that all these pieces of armour help protect you. But you also have 2 weapons to help you fight: the Word of God and prayer. Right after all the verses about the armour of God, you are told to pray all the time and pray all kinds of prayers. This is the last piece of armour.
You have learned a lot about putting on the full armour of God! After God tells you to put on the full armour of God, He instructs you to be watchful so you can pray. God said to pray all the time by the power of the Holy Spirit. He said to pray all kinds of prayers, including those prayers for other people.
Place all the objects from the last 3 lessons to be used as armour at the front of your teaching area.
This pretend armour I have placed here represents the complete armour of God. Let’s review all the pieces of armour. As I show you each piece of armour, you call out what it is.
Lift 1 piece of armour at a time and pause for the children to call out the names. Help them if they struggle: belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes of peace, helmet of salvation, shield of faith, sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
I also have a pile of leaves. These leaves will represent your prayers. Open both hands in front of you, like an empty cup. I will come around and fill your hands with leaves as you quietly think of prayers to God.
Begin placing the leaves in the hands of each child and continue talking as you pass out the leaves.
Optional: If you are using Student Pages, you may give each child a page, crayons, and scissors. The children can draw or write their prayers on the leaves before cutting or tearing out each leaf.
Maybe there are temptations you are facing and you need God to give you His power to win the battle. Maybe you are doubting God’s love for you. Maybe you are afraid and need to ask God for peace. Maybe you are angry, and you need to ask God to help you forgive. Let’s all be quiet and pray, asking God to help you be strong and put on the armour of God.
Pause for about 1 minute to allow the children to pray. If any child seems troubled or does not know what to do, you may pray with that child.
When you are finished praying, bring your leaves and put them on top of the armour. The leaves represent your prayers to God.
After the children have all had time to respond, ask them to stand up.
Let’s sing our memory verse 1 more time, knowing that God gives us everything we need to be strong!
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
Review the song or rhythm you created to help the children remember the memory verse. Sing it with them 3 times.
End class by saying this blessing, based on Ephesians 6:18, over the children.
Blessing: May you pray at all times by the power of the Holy Spirit. May you be watchful and always keep on praying. May you remember to pray for the Lord’s people.
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.
