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.
Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 139:23–24
Most of us have a secret deep inside that we have told no one—not a spouse, not a friend. No one. We do not want anyone to know the pain, the shame, or the fear we carry inside. Yet we long to be totally honest with someone. Someone who will still love us even when seeing our pain, shame, and fear.
Jesus is that Someone. He already knows our secret. He waits patiently for us to allow Him into that secret place. When we do, we experience His healing presence. And then we are released into the free life He has for us.
One version of verse 24 translates “any offensive way” as “any way of pain in me.” Do you have a way of pain in you? Pray these verses each day this week. Ask God to show you if there is anything you have kept from His convicting, healing touch. Allow Him in and be released into fullness of life.
As you finish this unit about substance abuse, encourage the children to share what they have learned with their families.
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
As you welcome your students to class, ask them if they had the opportunity to talk with a friend or family member about what they learned about smoking last week.
Today we will finish our unit about saying no to substance abuse. Let’s review what we have learned about the harmful ways that drinking alcohol, using drugs, and smoking can affect your life.
Divide the children into 3 groups. Give each group 1 topic:
If you have a very large class, create 6 groups and have 2 groups for each topic. Each group will think of ways that drinking alcohol, using drugs, or smoking can affect a person as it relates to the assigned topic.
As a group, think of the effects substance abuse would have on someone as it relates to your topic. Remember what you have learned over the last few lessons! For example, if someone used drugs, the group with Body, Brain, and Emotions might say the person might not be able to think clearly. The Relationships group might say that using drugs could make it hard to trust that person as a friend. The School and Activities group might say that the person would struggle to do well in school.
Give the groups about 5 minutes to come up with their ideas. Clap to get the children’s attention. Then ask for a volunteer from the first group to tell you one of their ideas. Ask the second group to share an idea. Then ask the third group to share an idea. Continue to ask each group to share an idea until they run out of ideas, or after about 5 minutes. Most likely the ideas will have some overlap between groups. This is okay.
Optional Supplies: If you have a large paper or board available, you can illustrate the children’s answers using a diagram with 3 overlapping circles like you see in the diagram here.
As we can see, using drugs, drinking alcohol, or smoking can have many harmful effects on all areas of our lives.
There are many reasons why even children might become involved with addictive substances:
If you have thought about using any of these addictive things, you must decide to say no. You can also choose to help your friends stay away from these destructive substances.
Here are some signs to look for when you think a friend might be using drugs or alcohol. These signs do not always mean a person is abusing a substance, but they are good indicators that she might be.
Someone who is abusing substances may:
Ask the children if they have any questions or comments about any of these signs. Allow plenty of time to provide answers to the children’s questions.
Encourage the children to think through their answers carefully. Share the following ideas if the children do not mention them: If it is a good friend, they might be able to talk to her about it. If the person is drunk or high on drugs, they should share what they know with an adult they trust. If the friend is willing, the children could offer to ask her every day, “How are you doing? Do you need to talk?” Just those little friendship questions could make a huge difference in helping the person break bad habits.
Optional: If you are using The Action Bible, do not tell this story. Instead have the children read it in small groups. The story is on pages 470–472.
If possible, show The Action Bible images of the story of Daniel and his friends as you tell it.
Now listen as I read you a true story from the Bible about 4 young men who chose not to eat and drink certain things because they wanted to honour God. Daniel and his friends wereIsraelites. They and many others were captured by the king of Babylon. They had been forced to walk about 1,400 kilometres from their home in Jerusalem.
Once they were in Babylon, the smartest and most handsome young men were brought to train to serve the king. They had 3 years to prepare to be interviewed by the king. Daniel and his friends were some of the young men brought to the palace.
Daniel and his friends understood that they were different from the people in Babylon. They believed in the One True God but the people of Babylon worshipped many gods. Daniel and his friends were not offered drugs or cigarettes. Instead, they were offered food and drink that was not what God had said was best for them. The Babylonians ate the meat of animals that God had told the Israelites not to eat. And a portion of the royal food and wine had been offered to the idols of their gods.
This was delicious food, but Daniel and his friends refused to eat it. They did not want to dishonour God by eating food that was not His best for them.
The official who was in charge of them was worried. If they did not eat the food, would the king of Babylon notice that they looked hungry and skinny? He was afraid he would get into trouble with the king. Daniel told the official, “Please test us for 10 days. Just give us vegetables and water. Then compare how we look with the others at the end of that time.”
The official may not have been convinced it was a good idea, but he agreed to Daniel’s request.
For 10 days the other young men ate the rich food and fine wine from the king’s table. Daniel and his friends ate nothing but vegetables and water. At the end of the 10 days, there was no doubt. Daniel and his friends looked healthier and better nourished than the other young men. So the official took away all the king’s food and wine and let Daniel and his friends just eat vegetables and water.
From that day on, these young men honoured God with their bodies. They were faithful to God, praying to Him 3 times a day. They became strong and wise. After 3 years all the young men, including Daniel and his friends, were taken before the king. The king saw that out of all the young men, Daniel and his friends were the smartest and wisest. The king said, “I choose you, Daniel and your friends, to serve in my government. You are better than all my magicians, enchanters, and advisers.”
At times, you may feel like you want to try things such as cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs— thinking it would be fun. The truth is that these things will hurt you. God does not want you to do these things because He is protecting you for something better. God had a great plan for the young men who found themselves in Babylon. Later, God used Daniel and his friends to help the king believe in the One True God. When you stand for what is right and say no to harmful substances, you allow God to use you too.
When it comes to saying no Daniel is a great example for us to follow. Daniel and his friends said no to anything that did not honour God. They were not afraid to stand up for what they believed, even though they were captives. They followed God even when it put them in great danger.
Refusing to do the wrong thing is not easy. Sometimes it is scary, but God is in control. We can trust God in every situation! It is not always easy to say no to doing things that will hurt our wonderful bodies. But we can trust God to help us keep our bodies healthy.
Optional: If you are using the Student Pages, have the children to fill in their individual responses to the questions on daring to be a Daniel by trusting God.
Divide the children into pairs. Explain that you will read some situations Daniel might face if he were living today. The partners can act out each one. They will take turns being the one who says no.
Clap for the good job the partners did. Ask the children to listen quietly as you share from Psalm 139:23–24. Show the Memory Verse poster if you are using it.
God, see what is in my heart. Know what is there. Put me to the test. Know what I’m thinking. See if there’s anything in my life you don’t like. Help me live in the way that is always right.
Psalm 139:23-24, NIrV
If you want God to examine your heart and help you live in ways that honour Him, take a stand like Daniel did. If you are uncertain about doing this at this time, but you want to say no to substance abuse, take a stand like Daniel did. You are able to live healthy lives by saying no to destructive substances. Close your eyes as I pray this blessing over you. It is based on God’s Word.
Blessing: May you know that God, who sees everything in your life, loves you. He has good plans for you. You can take a stand like Daniel and honour God because He is for you, and He will help you.
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.
