DON’T
Items Needed: mousetrap and cheese
Show children a mousetrap and let them see you put cheese or whatever you use to catch a mouse on it.
Ask:
How does this work? (The mouse wants the cheese, so the trap catches him when he comes to get it.)
How did the devil tempt Eve? (He tempted her to eat the fruit God had told them not to eat; He caused her to doubt God’s rule and His word.)
How is sin like a trap? (Sin may look fun, but it will hurt us later; Sin – such as telling a lie- may look like the easy way to get what we want, but we will feel guilty later; etc.)
Sometimes sin might look good, but it is a trap. People who are addicted to alcohol or drugs are trapped by sin. Sin is a trap that hurts us and leads us away from God.
Choices, Choices
Play the choices game. Announce two choices and have children scurry to one side of the room or the other according to the choice they make. For example: If you would choose pizza, go to the left side. If you would choose a hamburger, go to the right side.
Some choice options:
Coke or Pepsi
Flip-flops or tennis shoes
Cookies or ice cream
Two sports teams
Football or baseball
Reading a book or watching a movie
Science or math
Dogs or cats
Beach or mountains
What are some choices you make every day?
Some choices are easy—What kind of cereal should I eat? What shirt should I wear? What should I watch on TV?
What choice did God give Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden? (They could eat from any tree in the garden, except one; They could choose to obey or disobey His rule.)
Satan tempted Adam and Eve, and they made a wrong choice. (They ate from the forbidden tree.) We may be tempted to do wrong things, but we are always the ones who make the final choice.
Bombarded
Give each family member a piece of paper. Instruct them to write down a thought/lie that they’ve heard or something that comes into their minds about sin. (It’s okay to sin; Sin is not that bad. Stealing a pack of gum is a little thing. Telling a little white lie is okay. Everybody disobeys sometimes.)
Tell them that wrong thoughts like these are ways the devil tempts them to sin. The devil wants them to sin. Wad up these lies.
Choose one person to be it and have him stand on one side of a line while the others stand on the other side. At the count of three, throw the paper wads at him.
Ask:
How did you feel with all those paper wads coming at you at once?
How do you feel when there are so many temptations to do wrong things?
Give him a trash can lid (or storage bin lid or lid to a big box) for a shield.
At the count of three, pick up the paper wads and throw them at him again.
Ask: How did you feel having a shield? (Protected, able to ward off the attack)
Read Ephesians 6:13-16.
When you believe in God and His Word, it is like a shield to protect you from the lies that you may hear or think. Knowing God’s Word can help you recognize the lies and say no to temptation and sin.