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.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:9–10
When Paul began to follow Christ, he knew his faith would mean persecution—the same kind of persecution he had once inflicted on the lives of others. But he also knew it meant forgiveness instead of judgment from Jesus, the One who helps us when we are persecuted. Because of this, the apostle Paul rejoiced in his weaknesses and struggles.
In these verses, the phrase “rest on me” literally means to pitch a tent over someone. Paul knew that, in spite of his own weakness, God would cover him with the strength to stand for what he believed in—to stand for God. Are you facing pressure or persecution from others to betray your principles? Do you feel pushed to conform to the ways everyone else lives? Christ’s power is over you like a tent! In Him you have strength and power. Whatever challenges you face, invite God into those parts of your life. Let Him pitch His tent of comfort, grace, and strength over you—for when you are weak, He is strong!
Encourage the students to ask their family members, “Do you know someone who takes drugs? How do the drugs affect that person and his family and friends?”They can then share what they have learned about drugs and their effects. If possible, share the Resource Article at the beginning of this unit with the families.
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
Welcome your students warmly. Ask about their lives, their families, and their interests. As you get to know your students better, they will become more willing to listen to you and to what you share from God’s Word.
Let me show you how to take your pulse.
Show students how to put their first 2 fingers right next to each other over the artery located on the thumb side of the wrist. Give the students 1 minute to find their pulse. Help those who need assistance.
Optional: You can use the watch or clock with a second hand to have your students count their heartbeats for 30 seconds or 1 minute and then again after the exercises below.
Now let’s get our hearts beating faster.
Lead the students in doing jumping jacks, as shown below, for 2 minutes. They can also run in place or do deep knee bends. Then ask them to check their pulses again.
Help the students to understand that their pulse is faster because their hearts are beating faster.
Your heart is amazing! This muscle is the powerhouse that circulates blood to the top of your head and the tips of your fingers and toes. The blood provides oxygen and energy to all of your cells and keeps you alive. Here are some amazing facts about your heart:
Allow 2–3 students to share their thoughts for each of the following questions.
Your heart is an important part of the body. Last time, we learned that it is important to make healthy choices, including taking care of our hearts, because it can help us to live better, and possibly longer, lives. We also learned that taking care of our bodies, including our hearts, honours God. He created us and wants our lives to be abundant!
Even though being healthy has many advantages, sometimes we may think it is better to have a moment of pleasure than a lifetime of health. Or we may not use self-control when choosing what to do with our bodies. When we make unwise choices, it may damage our hearts.
One thing that damages your heart is taking drugs. Drugs can cause problems with your heart, including irregular heartbeat, heart infections, and heart attacks. But they can also cause other kinds of physical and emotional harm.
Drugs can be things that you breathe, such as glue or paint. They can come in the form of pills that you swallow or liquids that you inject with a needle. There are 2 main types of drugs: stimulants, which cause you to be energetic and experience strong emotions, and depressants, which calm your emotions and make you feel overly relaxed. Though both types of drugs can make you feel better in the moment, when the effects wear off, you often feel worse than you did before you took them.
Let’s talk about some truths and falsehoods about drugs.
Share the following statements with the students. After each statement, ask them to say whether it is true or false. The answers are written at the end of each statement in parentheses. Below each statement is more information you can share with your students if it will help them to understand.
Students may answer that people might take drugs to help them deal with emotional pain. Others may like the feeling they experience when they are taking drugs—for example, having more energy. Others might feel pressured to take drugs to make or keep friends.
When someone offers you drugs, it may seem easy to say yes. You may feel pressured because you think others will not like you if you do not take drugs. The person may tell you that you will have more fun if you are high.
It may be tempting to take drugs because your friends take them and want you to as well. But it is not a healthy choice. Allowing others to pressure you to make unwise choices is not healthy either. Peer pressure may cause you to make choices that do not fit with your goals in life or your beliefs.
Allow students to share their thoughts.
The Bible gives us lots of wise advice for life—including how to handle peer pressure.
Ask a student to read Proverbs 13:20 aloud from the Bible.
Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.
Proverbs 13:20
It tells us to spend time with wise people if we want to be wise. If we spend time with fools, we will suffer harm. Spending time with people who make healthy choices can help us to make healthy choices.
One good option is to spend time with people who will be a good influence on you instead of a bad one. You might need to look for new friends if the ones you have are pressuring you to make unhealthy choices.
Another good option is to avoid situations where drugs may be a temptation. When you are busy with fun, drug-free activities, you will be less tempted to take drugs.
Ask the students to find partners, and then give them 2 minutes to share some things they can do to have fun that do not involve taking drugs. Allow 2–3 students to share with the class.
It is important to plan how you will respond if you are invited to take drugs. This will make it easier when you are in a difficult situation. Use clear communication, and be polite but firm. Be honest, and do not feel ashamed of your decision.
Allow the students to discuss their ideas with their partners for 2 minutes. Then invite 2–3 teens to share with the group. As they share, suggest statements such as “God does not want me to take drugs” or “Taking drugs is bad for my health.”
Those are great ideas! There is 1 more solution to help you with the challenge of peer pressure. You can call on God for strength. He will help you in any situation.
Ask a student to read Psalm 46:1 aloud from the Bible.
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Psalm 46:1
God is very near to help us when we are in trouble. He is our strength.
It may seem easier to go along with your friends rather than saying no. But when you are faced with temptation, you can trust God to be your strength.
Have the students discuss this question with their partners.
God can help me to be strong when I need to tell my friends I do not agree with them or I do not want to do what they are doing.
We do not need to use drugs because we are afraid of what others may think of us. If you trust God with your peer pressure challenges, He will be your strength in times of need.
Has God helped you to stand strong when someone asked you to take drugs or to do something else you knew was wrong? Has God helped you stand strong when you have seen a friend taking drugs? Let’s share our experiences so we can help each other to be strong.
Each partner will share an experience when he was strong in the face of temptation and peer pressure. If the students do not have examples about saying no to drugs, they can use other examples of peer pressure. Have them role-play the situation, practicing saying no to the temptation and peer pressure. Give the teens 2–3 minutes to do this. Then have them switch so the other person is the one saying no.
Allow 2–3 students to share their ideas.
Optional: If you are using the Student Pages, the teens can write their ideas on these pages.
Based on the ideas we shared, pick 1 and think of what you would say if someone tried to tempt you or pressure you into taking drugs. It may be something such as “I want to do well in school, so I do not take drugs,” “I try to obey my parents, so I do not take drugs,” or “Drugs might keep me from running fast—and I want to be able to win when I race you!”
Give the students a minute to think.
Now I am going to pretend to offer you drugs. When I do, I want you to firmly and confidently say the sentence that you decided to use as a response when you are offered drugs.
Do you want some drugs? If you want to spend time with our group, you have to take them. We all do!
Prompt the students to firmly and loudly give their answers all at once. Share an answer of your own at the same time.
Here are some drugs! You had better take them, or we will tell the rest of the group that you are not the kind of person we want to spend time with.
Begin by firmly and confidently sharing your own answer. Then point to the students 1 at a time so they can share their answers. Move around the room instead of calling on them in order. Encourage them to share their answers firmly and confidently.
Now turn to your partner and give your answer again. Be sure to say it firmly and confidently.
In this situation, it is easy to be confident. We are all saying we do not want to take drugs. But in a real situation, others might be tempting you and pressuring you—and you might not have other people there who will help you to be strong.
Allow the students to answer “God” or “Jesus.”
God is our strength—especially when we are weak. He can help us in situations of temptation or pressure. If you would like to ask God for strength now, repeat this verse as a prayer.
Have students stand and bow their heads. Pause after each phrase for the teens to repeat after you.
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Psalm 46:1
When you are faced with situations of temptation and peer pressure, remember that God can be your strength. With His strength, you can stand strong against pressure from others and against the temptation of drugs.
Close your time with this blessing based on Psalm 46:1:
Blessing: May God, who is always strong and always with you, give you strength in times of need. May you always remember that God is with you and that He is strong, even in your weakness. May He give you the strength to say no to drugs.
Lead the students 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.
