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Suspendisse feugiat mi sed lectusaoreet nec interdumBy Trenz Pruca
The devil is trying to destroy your life
Year 2Quarter 4Lesson 4
2
Lesson
OverviewOur enemy will always have one goal and that is destruc5on – the devil is trying to destroy our lives and the lives of our children. He isn’t playing games; he’s determined to cause us physical, emo5onal, and spiritual pain. His tac5cs are subtle and slick. He will try to catch us off guard; he will disguise his aAacks so we don’t recognize he’s behind them; and he will trap us in any way that he can. War is a serious issue and soldiers must always be so careful not to fall into the traps that their enemy has set for them. As soldiers in the army of God, we need to be the same way.
Bible Lesson: Nehemiah won’t come down from the wall (Nehemiah 6:1-‐16)While Nehemiah was working hard to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem, his enemy sent him a message en5cing him to stop working and come down. Nehemiah saw through the request; he recognized that it was a trap to destroy him and the work he was doing, and refused to come down. In the same way, we need to learn how to see through the plans of the enemy so he will not lead us away from God and destroy our lives.
Object Lesson 1: You have to know what his traps look likeA skilled fisherman knows what bait to use to catch specific fish and the devil is just as strategic about trapping us. To avoid those traps we need to know what they look like.
Object Lesson 2: You have to stay as far away from his traps as possible. In countries where there is a history of war, you oMen see signs marking off dangerous areas containing landmines. People stay as far away from these areas as possible just like we need to stay as far away from the devil’s traps as we can.
Object Lesson 3: You have to ask God to help you outNobody is perfect and it is likely that we will all fall into the devil’s traps at some point. Once we fall into these traps it is very difficult to get out in our own strength but God will always help us out if we ask Him to.
Teacher's ResponsibilityBefore teaching this lesson, you will need to take some 5me alone with God and let him search your heart. Ask Him to reveal to you if you have been falling into any of Satan’s traps. Be honest with yourself. Do you get discouraged because of things others have said? Do you feel biAerness towards anyone? Do you feel the weight of guilt in your life? Are there tempta5ons you struggle with that you are not doing everything you can to avoid? If so, then you need to stop right now and begin to pray and ask God to free you and help you stay away from them. Once you have overcome Satan’s traps in your own life, you will have anoin5ng and authority in your teaching.
To avoid the devil’s traps you have to:
Sub 1: Know what his traps look like
Sub 2: Stay as far away from his traps as possible
Sub 3: Ask God to help you out
Power Point: The devil is trying to destroy your lifeDirection: Be careful to avoid his traps
Memory Verse: “For we are not unaware of [the devil’s] schemes.” - 2 Corinthians 2:11b (NIV)
Lesson Intro
PresentaOon: (Play night jungle ambience. Two enemy soldiers enter stage dressed completely in black – they set up the crates with the wire and the camouflage ne=ng at the front of the stage)
Enemy soldier 1: Come on, set the trap here.Enemy soldier 2: I have to make sure it’s covered so that they won’t see it. (Starts covering it with ne=ng)Enemy soldier 1: Perfect, they won’t know what hit them…hahaha! (Enemy soldiers sneak off stage as the Drill Sergeant and soldiers enter from the back. They make their way toward the stage crouching and speaking in a hushed voice)
Drill Sergeant: Soldiers, this isn’t a game. This is a real war that you are in and the enemy is looking to destroy your life. Come on. Follow my lead. (Drill Sergeant moEons for the soldiers to follow her lead down the middle aisle and up the stairs)
Drill Sergeant: The enemy has many different strategies and schemes to set you up and to trick you. He wants to trap you, so you need to be aware. Always keep your eyes open and look around you. Be careful to avoid the enemy’s traps. Is that clear? (Soldiers nod)
Drill Sergeant: Hold on… (DS puts up her hand to stop the soldiers) Something’s not right here…look, the enemy has set a trap! (Drill Sergeant points to the wire. She picks up a sEck and pulls at the wire -‐ BAM!!! Explosion is set off)
Drill Sergeant: I told you, you are soldiers in this army and the enemy doesn’t play. He is trying destroy your life. You need to be careful to avoid his traps.
Teacher: Freeze! Can you imagine if those soldiers weren’t aware of that trap? They would have been destroyed. Just like these soldiers are in the army and their enemy doesn’t play with them, you are in the Army of God and your enemy the devil doesn’t play with you. This is no joke. He has one goal and that is to try and destroy your life. He is slick and he is sneaky. He has many different tac5cs and schemes that he will try to trap you with. That’s why you need to be careful and you need to be aware of his schemes. Today’s memory verse is from 2 Corinthians 2:11b and it says, “For we are not unaware of [the devils] schemes.”
To be unaware means that you have no idea about something and that it catches you by surprise. That’s what the devil wants. But as a soldier in the Army of God you need to always be aware. You need to know that the devil isn’t playing games with you and that he actually wants to destroy your life. He wants to cause you so much pain physically and even inside your heart. He wants to make you feel like you’re stupid and not good enough. He wants to get you hooked on drugs and alcohol. He wants you to be so angry and hurt that you won’t forgive people. He does all this by seXng up different traps in your life; traps that you will fall into if you are not aware of them and are not careful to avoid them. The devil is trying to destroy your life. Be careful to avoid his traps. To avoid the traps of the devil you have to…
1. Know what his traps look like
2. Stay as far away from his traps as possible
3. Ask God to help you out
Props 3 army ouZits (hats, pants, jacket, backpacks), 3 rifles, 1 flashlight, 2 black balaclavas, 2 black crates 5ed together with 1 meter of metal wire, 2 plas5c rocks, long s5ck, 2 trees, camouflage neXng, army makeup
Actors 2 enemy soldiers, Drill Sergeant, 2 soldiersMusic Night jungle ambience, small explosion sound effectPreparaOon Set up the 2 rocks on either side of the stage; place the 2 trees towards the back of the stage.
Bible LessonNehemiah won’t come down from the wall
PresentaOon: Have you ever done something that takes all of your strength and seems almost impossible to finish? I know that I have and there was a man in the Bible named Nehemiah who went through something like that too. (Nehemiah enters the stage carrying a load of bricks in his arms – climbs up the wall and places the bricks around) Nehemiah and the Jewish people were all working to re-‐build the wall that surrounded Jerusalem. They had been working long and hard and they were very 5red. (Sanballat, other person, and messenger enter and go to the side of the stage) When they had nearly finished everything, some of Nehemiah’s enemies heard about his work and sent him this message:(Messenger brings the scroll to Nehemiah who is standing on top of the wall – Nehemiah opens the scroll and liNs it up to read it)
Nehemiah: Come, let us meet together in one of the villages in the plains of Ono. (Nehemiah closes the scroll, looking suspiciously at it) Hmmm…I don’t think so. (Turning to the messenger) I have a message for you to take back to them. I am carrying on a great project and I cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?
(Messenger returns to the guys, looking like he’s talking to them)
Teacher: His enemies weren’t happy with that answer. So they sent back the same message again.
(Messenger takes the scroll and goes to Nehemiah again – Nehemiah moEons no and the messenger returns)
In fact, the Bible says that they sent Nehemiah the exact same message five 5mes, each 5me trying to get him to come down from the wall and meet with them. But Nehemiah just wouldn’t do it. He refused to come down from the wall, but why? Why wouldn’t he just get off the wall and go meet those guys like they wanted? It was because he knew that it was a trap; he knew they were seXng him up. He knew they wanted to try to destroy him and the work that he was doing but he was too smart for that and he saw through their plans.
In your life you need to be that smart too, so that you can see through the plans of the devil when he is trying to trap you. You need to see through that trap when you’re 5red and not feeling well and someone at school starts with you. Right there, that’s a trap that the devil is seXng for you and he wants you to fall for it. He wants you to get in a fight and get in trouble. He wants you to be angry and full of hate. But if you’re smart, you’ll see through that trap and avoid it. You’ll turn around and drop the maAer before it even starts.
Some of you spend a lot of 5me on the internet and you see images pop up. The devil wants you to click on those images – he wants you to go to websites you shouldn’t go to, to see things you shouldn’t see. Why? So he can destroy your life and make you live the way he wants you to live and not the way God wants you to live. You need to be smarter than that. You need to see through it and realize it’s a trap.
Props 6 crates (made to look like a solid brick wall), several single foam bricks, 2 plas5c rocks, 2 trees, Nehemiah ouZit, 3 Bible costumes, rolled up scroll (old looking).
Actors Nehemiah, Sanballat, Other person, MessengerPreparaOon Place the brick wall at the front of the stage to one side with a few of the loose bricks on top and in
front. Place 2 crates behind the wall for Nehemiah to stand on to get to the top of the wall.
Bible Lesson - Page 1
Nehemiah saw through the plan. He knew that his enemies were planning to capture him as a prisoner or kill him to stop the work but he didn’t fall for it at all. He stood his ground and refused to come down. Actually, he became even more determined to finish the work that he and the people had started.
Nehemiah: I know they were all trying to frighten us, thinking that our hands are too weak for the work to complete the wall. (Nehemiah stretches his hands out to heaven and prays) Oh God! Strengthen my hands!
Nehemiah saw through the plans of his enemies who were set on trapping him and instead of giving up or being afraid, He asked God for strength to go on and God gave it to him. They completed the wall in record 5me. So when the devil sets traps for you in your life, learn from Nehemiah’s example. Don’t give in, don’t fall for it, and don’t be afraid. Be smart and see through the plans that the devil has against you. God is with you and He will help you. The devil is trying to destroy your life. Be careful to avoid his traps.
Bible Lesson - Page 2
Bible LessonNehemiah won’t come down from the wall
Object Lesson 1to avoid the devil’s traps, you have to know what they look like
PresentaOon: In order to catch a fish, a fisherman has to be very smart and strategic about it. That’s why he has a tackle box. (Go to the tackle box) In the tackle box are different kinds of bait that he will use. (Pull out rubber worm) For some fish, he uses a worm because he knows that is the best bait to trap them. (Pull out shiny swivel) For others, he will use a shiny swivel. When he finds the perfect bait, he will put it on a hook (pick up hook), drop it in the water and wait for a fish to bite. When the fish sees it, he doesn’t see the hook, he doesn’t see it’s a trap – he just sees something that he wants. It looks so good, but the minute he takes a bite – he is hooked, and his en5re life is destroyed. He didn’t know what he was bi5ng was a trap; he didn’t know what the trap looked like.
The devil is just as strategic about trapping you as a skilled fisherman. He will place all kinds of traps in your life that look good, just like the bait, but if you go for it – you will end up geXng caught on his hook. You can avoid those traps if you know what they looked like.
One of those traps is alcohol (hold up ‘ALCOHOL’ poster on hook). A lot of you see people drinking alcohol and it looks like they’re happy, it looks like they’re having fun. What you don’t know is that once you start drinking, you can easily become hooked (pull at the sign to show that it’s hooked). The devil will try to trap you into becoming an alcoholic so he can destroy your life with it.
Another trap is money (hold up ‘MONEY’ poster on hook). You hear all your friends talking about how they want to be rich, but the Bible says, “people who want to get rich fall into tempta5on and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires” (1 Timothy 6:9-‐10). You think that having all the nicest clothes and newest computer games will make you happy -‐ that is not true – the devil is using that as a trap to get you to start stealing and doing whatever you can to get that money. You should never put money before God. If you do, you are hooked on the devil’s trap. It looks good, but it’s a trap. You need to be smart and know what all these traps look like so you can avoid them.
Props Tackle box, 2 different types of bait (one shiny swivel, one fake worm), large fishhook, 2 posters that say: ‘MONEY’, ‘ALCOHOL’, fishing line, 2 fishhook-‐looking things bent from wire hangers, fishing line
PreparaOon Make large fishhook-‐looking things from the metal hangers and aAach them with fishing line. Place one small hole in the top-‐center part of each poster. Place the small table center stage with the tackle box on it.
Object Lesson 2to avoid the devil’s traps, you have to stay as far away from them as possible
PresentaOon: In many countries around the world out in the fields and along the roads you can see signs that look just like this (point at sign warning of landmines). These signs are warning the people of something called a landmine. A landmine is a small bomb that is dug into the ground and leM there as a trap. One wrong step and…POW! (Play explosion sound effect) That person is destroyed or badly hurt. But as you can see, these signs are there to warn people of where the bombs are so that they know not to go there. Nobody in their right mind would go into those areas once they know that those bombs are there; they would stay as far away from those traps as possible to avoid them.
You need to stay as far away from the traps of the devil as possible too. The devil isn’t playing games with you, he is out to hurt you and destroy your life any way that he can. But if you know the types of traps that he’ll use on you, then you have to be a smart soldier and stay away from those things to keep the devil from destroying your life.
Girls you need to stay away from spending too much 5me alone with a boy. That is a set-‐up to tempt you to start messing around and trap you into having sex before marriage (turn the first sign around to ‘SEX BEFORE MARRIAGE’). Boys, don’t get too close to the people on your block who are selling drugs (turn second sign around to ‘DRUGS’), because before you know it, you’ll be drawn into that lifestyle. That is a trap that will destroy your life, maybe put you in prison or even get you killed. You also need to stay away from the wrong crowd in your school (turn third sign – ‘WRONG CROWD’). It’s a trap designed to get you into a lot of trouble. The devil has so many traps that he wants to use on you to get you to destroy your life. That’s why the Bible urges you to come to your senses and realize what Satan’s doing because he’s been able to do what he wants in your life for way too long. Don’t fall for his traps anymore, stay as far away from them as possible.
Props 3 ‘DANGER: LANDMINE!’ signs on poles (red signs with white skull and crossbones and leAering) – on the back of each landmine poster 3 posters that look exactly the same but that say ‘DANGER: SEX BEFORE MARRIAGE’, ‘DANGER: DRUGS ’, ‘DANGER: WRONG CROWD’
Sound Effects ExplosionPreparaOon Place the 3 signs in different spots on the stage
Object Lesson 3to avoid the devil’s traps, you have to ask God to help you out
PresentaOon: Learning what the devil’s traps look like and staying away from them sounds easy while you are siXng in this room, but in reality it’s not that easy.
Mom (yelling from backstage): You’re late home every night, you never spend Ome with the children, and you don’t appreciate any of the work I do around here. I don’t know why I ever married you!
Dad (yelling from backstage): Well why did you? Why don’t you just divorce me if you’re that miserable!
James: (kicking over the table in a rage) STOP IT!
(James sits down with his head in his hands)
Teacher: I know when everyone in your house is arguing it’s so easy to lose pa5ence, develop an aXtude, and fall into the trap of anger (devil comes and puts one handcuff on James).
Bully (voice from backstage): You’re such a loser. No wonder you don’t have any friends!
Teacher: When kids make fun of you in school it’s easy to let those thoughts affect you and fall into the trap of thinking that you’re worthless (actor puts head in hands, devil locks his other hand in the handcuff).
Some5mes in life you will fall into the devil’s traps. When you do, you will not be able to get out of them in your own strength (James tries to get out of the handcuffs). But that doesn’t mean you need to give up and feel defeated. There is someone who will always help you out and that’s God. All you have to do is ask Him to help you out.
James: God, I’m sorry, I just get so mad that I feel like hidng somebody. Then these kids make fun of me and I feel so worthless. Please help me out – help me control my anger. Help me to see myself the way you see me.
(God comes and unlocks the handcuffs)
Teacher: Maybe you have fallen into one of the devil’s traps like hatred, biAerness, fear, or guilt. These are all things that he will try and destroy your life with. Maybe you have done something you know was wrong. If you do fall into one of the devil’s traps, don’t beat yourself up, just ask God to help you out. If you mean it and are sincere, He will help you out. Then try to stay away from that trap in future. The devil is trying to destroy your life; be careful to avoid his traps and ask God to help you out.
Props Small table with picture frame and plas5c vase of flowers on, handcuffs, devil costume, God costume, chair.
Actors Devil, James, GodPreparaOon Place the chair in the middle of the stage and the table on one side of the stage
Life LessonFlip and the spider gang
Frame 1: Flip and Flora were two flies who lived in the middle of the city. Their dad was very overprotec5ve. Every fly in the city knew about the spider gang – they were mean, violent, and dangerous. So Flip and Flora’s dad made a lot of rules – go straight to school, come straight home, no playing outside, no staying over your friend’s house… Flip and Flora hated these rules and felt as if they could never do what they wanted. “I hope you know that I love you and I don’t want anything bad to happen to you,” he reminded them.
Frame 2: The next morning when Flip and his dad woke up, they went to Flora’s bed but she wasn’t there. All they found was a leAer. (Pick up le_er) “Dear Dad and Flip, by the 5me you read this, I’ll be long gone. I’ve run away from home and never plan on coming back, Flora.” Flip turned to his Dad, “I thought you said you’d never let anything happen to us? She probably leM because of all your stupid rules; it’s your fault she’s gone! You make it impossible for us to live here!”
Preaching Point: To avoid the devil’s traps, you need to know what his traps look like. Right here Flip is geXng angry but what you need to know is that anger is a trap from the devil. He will try to trap you in so many ways and you need to know what his traps look like so you can avoid them. Hatred is a trap. Jealousy is a trap. Even thoughts of depression -‐ that is a trap. So the next 5me you start to feel those things you need to stop right there and say, “Devil no, I’m not stupid – I know what your traps look like. I know you’re trying to destroy me with them but I will not let you.” You need to get out of those traps. But Flip let himself get really angry
Frame 3: He was s5ll angry on the way to school when his neighbor Frank flew up to him, “Flip! Wait up!” “What do you want?!” Flip snapped. “Flip, I saw them! Last night I saw the spiders take your sister!” Suddenly it all made sense. Flora didn’t leave that note at all – the spider gang had leM it to trick them! Flip flew home as fast as he could to tell his father.
Frame 4: “Come on, we have to go look for her!” But his Dad wouldn’t go, “Son, I think the Spiders are seXng a trap – they want to destroy all of us. Don’t go aMer her, we’ll find another way to rescue her.”
Preaching Point: The devil is trying to destroy your life; be careful to avoid his traps. As soon as he heard the spiders were involved, he knew he had to be careful to avoid their traps. Just like that, you need to be careful to avoid the traps that the devil puts out for you. The Bible says he comes to steal, to kill, and destroy (John 10:10). Why do you think people end up in prison? They get so hungry for money that they rob to get it; they get so full of hatred that they end up killing someone. They’re not careful; they fall into the devil’s traps and let him destroy their life. Boys I know you don’t want that to be you. Girls, I know the devil makes a lot of you feel as if you’re not beau5ful and that nobody loves you. You need to know that those thoughts are traps. He knows that if he can get you to think that way, then maybe he can even get you to think that you should kill yourself. That’s what he wants – to steal, to kill, and to destroy. He doesn’t want you to believe that there is a God who loves you more than anything else in the en5re world; he wants you to destroy yourself. It’s a trap. That’s why you need to be careful to avoid them.
That’s exactly what Flip’s dad was trying to warn him about, but Flip didn’t listen. He wasn’t going to sit back while his sister was in danger.
Props LeAer (see Frame 2), trash canSound Effects Screeching bird, squeaky doorPreparaOon Put the trash can to the side of the stage
Life Lesson - Page 1
Life LessonFlip and the spider gang
Frame 5: He raced through the streets looking everywhere un5l he turned down a dark alley and saw a huge spider web covering a door. ‘That has to be where they’ve got Flora,’ he thought. He carefully made his way around the web and pushed the door (play sound effect of a creaky door). Nothing could prepare him for what was on the other side.
Frame 6: Flora was trapped in a huge web and two huge, evil spiders were heading straight for her. They had mean green eyes and sharp fangs coming out of their mouth. But when they heard the door creak open, they turned to see Flip. “There’s another one! We’re having a feast tonight!” They started to come aMer him so Flip turned to fly away out as fast as he could. The spiders were right behind him.
Frame 7: He ducked behind a trashcan (duck behind trashcan) hoping the spiders wouldn’t see him. Thankfully, they ran right by. Flip crept out and flew back to where Flora was trapped. He knew he didn’t have much 5me – the spiders would be back any moment. He tried to untangle Flora as fast as he could! She was almost free, when all of a sudden…
Frame 8: …the door swung open and there were the spiders again! Now they were both trapped. “GET THEM!!” the spider yelled. But just as they started closing in on Flip and Flora, (play screeching bird sound effect) a huge bird flew in behind them. The spiders ran away in fear – birds were their enemy and were not about to become this ones next meal.
Frame 9: “Hurry!” the bird said, “I’m a friend of your Dad’s – he sent me to rescue you.” Flora hurried to jump on his back but Flip wouldn’t move. “My dad wouldn’t do anything to help before and now all of a sudden he changes his mind? I don’t think so. We can find our own way home. Come on Flora.” But Flora wanted to go with the bird. “Fine! I’ll see you later,” Flip said angrily. The bird took off with Flora. Flip started heading for the door. He was so mad at Flora for leaving him aMer he rescued her. “She’s gonna go home and Dad’s gonna be the hero but I was the one who put my life on the line for her – I found her!” He was so biAer! He swung the door open in a rage…
Frame 10: …and right there were the spiders – they were hiding behind the door wai5ng for him. Flip fell back into the web as their fangs got closer and closer. This 5me there was no way out. Because he wasn’t careful, he fell right into their trap and it cost him his life. It destroyed him.
Point of DecisionI know none of you here want that for your life -‐ none of you want to end up being destroyed. That is what the devil wants for you and he will set up traps for you every day. That’s why you need to be so smart. Instead of geXng angry to the point where you hurt others and hurt yourself, you need to stop and realize that anger is a trap you need to get out of. Instead of geXng jealous because somebody has something you want, to the point where you start to think about stealing it – you need to stop and realize that jealousy is a trap. Instead of thinking that you’re ugly and that nobody cares about you to the point where you get depressed, get an ea5ng disorder or start thinking about killing yourself – you need to realize those thoughts are traps and you need to get out. If today you want to decide that you’ve had enough – that you’re going to recognize those traps and stay away from them, raise your hand.
Closing PrayerDear God, Help me to be smart. Help me to know when the devil is puXng traps in my life. I don’t want to fall into them. I don’t want to be destroyed by him, so help me. When I get angry help me to stop; when I get jealous help me to stop and realize it’s a trap. Help me to stay away from things that I know are wrong. Help me to stay away from alcohol, to stay away from drugs, and to stay away from the wrong crowd. I don’t want to be destroyed. I won’t fall into those traps because I am smarter than that. God, I love you. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Life Lesson - Page 2